Things Turks aren't Trained For
by Speedy Speck
Summary: After the departure of Cloud and the change in Shinra, Reno and Tifa's friendship is finally able to blossom, though soon Reno finds himself developing more complicated feelings towards the brunette...RenoxTifa...Rating may change...and the title...
1. Ch1: Wastleland Memories

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Fifth-Eighth fanfic...I'm a healthy...ish way through my RufusxTifa fic so I thought I'd make a start on the RenoxTifa chaptered fic...I've made a whole plan for this, plus I've kinda already written half the ending ;)...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter One: Wasteland Memories**

Reno ran a nimble hand through his flame red spikes, letting out a bored sigh as he did so, and pushing his back further into the seat, which he had managed over his time as pilot, to make incredibly comfy, the fabric now able to mould itself to his slender shape.

The space inside the helicopter was, as always, deathly quiet, the air filled with a heavy silence that the red head found rather unsettling, as the sound of the propellers outside was deafening, yet the aircraft's walls seemed to block it out completely, making him feel strangely isolated.

Though he would never complain of course, after all he got to fly a helicopter, and that was something way too cool to pass up on the grounds of the interior feeling a little weird.

The red head tilted the controls slightly to the left, letting the aircraft drift further across and over their desolate destination, which this time just happened to be a stretch of parched, desert like wasteland, the lack of water in the area forcing the ground to become a hard, sandy yellow, with deep black cracks like veins covering the surface, almost as if it had been infected with some horrible, unknown disease.

Their mission was simple, scan the area thoroughly, take note of anything they found, and give a full report back to Tseng, who would, in turn, report back to the President.

Reno had no idea what his superiors were planning and he had no intention questioning them, he'd learned not to pry when it came to matters involving Shinra, especially matters that they obviously wanted to be kept private. It also felt a hell of a lot safer not to be in the know, because, after all, people who knew to much, people who's brains were just full of tasty nuggets of highly secretive information, tended to get kidnapped, which always seemed to lead to the rather unpleasant business of torture, and like any other sound person, Reno wasn't exactly a big fan of the whole getting tortured lark.

Though in hindsight, there had definitely been a stunning decrease in the number of Shinra haters since the terrible events that had occurred over the last few years; Sephiroth, Meteor, Geostigma, they all had an impressive impact on the population, but more so on the company.

Even Rufus, whom had before seemed as though he'd make an even more ominous President than his father, had now made a pledge to the planet, not publicly of course, but it was known throughout the remaining members of the company that their purpose, their objective, had altered somewhat, and Reno was surprised at how pleased he felt at this change.

When he first started working as a Turk, he honestly hadn't cared about the actions he carried out; he could kill a man at short range and not feel a thing, he pressed buttons and gave orders that had subsequently destroyed the lively hoods of thousands of innocent people, he hadn't enjoyed it, but then again he hadn't felt remorse either, it was just his job, he did the deed and got paid, that was it.

But lately something had changed, something had made regrets, regrets that had previously laid buried, deep behind layers of self created psychosis, surface and that forced him to face all the things he had done in the name of Shinra.

When ever he attempted to ask himself as to what exactly might caused this sudden change of heart, he always came back to the same, most likely candidate; Tifa Lockhart.

It had all started with that bar of hers, the rebuilt 'Seventh Heaven', located only a few streets away from his apartment, thus making it the perfect watering hole, plus he was banned from most of the others.

The first time he went there, the brunette had told him, ever so politely, that he wasn't welcome and that it would be in his best interests to 'piss off', though after a persistent run of confident attempts by the red head (to which he mostly received rather blunt answers in the form of really quite painful punches from the bartender), he finally got his way, at least to some extent.

He would come once a week and always as late as possible, after all, a lot of Tifa's customers didn't take kindly to Turks, and this dislike seemed to increase with the infusion of alcohol into their systems.

Reno didn't mind so much, after all he never finished work that early, and he'd always been a late drinker, plus the fewer customers there were, the more he got the brunette to himself.

Of course he tried it on with her, countless times in fact, though he knew full well she wasn't the type to give in to such easy charms that always worked so effortlessly on the other women littering the bars of Edge.

She didn't seem to mind the cheesy remarks or desperately cringe worthy lines, and instead seemed to accept them as part of the red head's quirky personality, even stating once, her belief, that he would probably act in the same way towards his own mother in-law, if he ever got one that is.

Soon the pair were talking, the red head enjoying the conversational wit she produced with such ease, and the brunette enjoying the warming company he gave her, especially at the darkened hour in which he always arrived; it seemed to Reno that he brought her a sort of assurance, a safeness, she'd even made the odd remark or passing comment about how he had somewhat become her late-night protector, comments which he was always quick to pounce upon.

Before he knew it he found himself holding a deep respect for the young woman, admiring the way she could handle herself, impressed at her ability to keep such a disfunctional family unite together, and he couldn't help but admit that she was incredibly talented when it came to drink making.

These bar meetings and casual conversations went on for months, until one night, quite unexpectedly he found himself agreeing to go down to the passing fair, which had rooted itself to the mid-summer common for the following three days.

He had been assured, by her, of course, that this was not a date, though in hindsight he had never thought of it like that. When she'd asked him, it didn't feel uncomfortable or intense like women usually seem to make such situations feel, but instead it felt natural, and easy, as though they had been doing it all their lives.

It was strange, and it surprised him, after so many years of life he had rarely been able to actually make many female friends, or keep them for that matter, though with her it felt shockingly different, it felt like it could last.

Over a year pasted and their friendship seemed to remain on the same level, each giving the other a light relief from the larger, more difficult chunks of their lives.

When the time came for Marlene and Denzel, who had become almost like a brotherly figure, to finally go back with Barrett, their departure had a deep affect on the brunette's life, an effect which for better or worse changed her.

To the red head she seemed to grow more vulnerable, more needy, more open, these things which she'd kept so private before, only allowing that side of her to be seen by the children and the children alone, suddenly came out with an almost desperate ease.

Reno would admit that sometimes she was hard to handle in those situations, but it was also refreshing, and he learnt from it, even finding himself being influenced, allowing his own guards to be lowered, something that he'd never confess in front of his fellow Turks.

And then Cloud disappeared, sure he had technically never been around for more than a few minutes a week anyway, but then one week he didn't show, then another and another and soon a month had passed, leaving the brunette in a frantic panic over his safety and whereabouts, and subsequently leaving the red head to look after her.

And that was that, in the blink of an eye the pair had become inseparable, well not inseparable in the literal sense, but their relationship had definitely formed a stronger bond that neither had expected, until it was just there.

This friendship was exactly what had seemingly made the red head so delighted at the prospect of change at Shinra, the possibility that, for once, he might actually be seen as 'the good guy', that he might finally have the chance to make up for all those things he did, things that he knew had affected Tifa so greatly, plus he couldn't deny the strong urge he had to impress her, and the whole, 'saving the plant in style' thing would surely fill that slot nicely.

Looking over the bleak plane of land, Reno let out a sigh and turned to his equally quiet partner, ''Yo Rude, you getting anything?''

The bald Turk simply shook his head, and turned back to the scanner equipment, located on the helicopter's control pad, taking full advantage of the situation to put in place his trademark silence.

After a few more moments of deathly quiet, the red head turned again to Rude, with some hope of engaging him in conversation, ''Do you think Elena or Tseng have picked anything up?''

Again the bald Turk shrugged ever so slightly, taking no effort in the gesture, his gaze seemingly still fixed upon the scanner, though the red head could never be sure of the exact direction in which his partner was looking through those dark shades he insisted on wearing.

''You ever thought about investing in some vocal chords?'' The red head smirked with a somewhat proud amusement at his own remark, to which Rude responded by raising a solitary eyebrow, perching it just above the top rim of his shades, confident that his action was clearly visible.

A long silence proceeded and Reno began to feel drained, the engaging energies that conversation brought about in him, seemingly unable to be used, thus a sort of heavy tiredness was finding its way into him and he soon found himself slightly worried that very soon he might drop off, causing the aircraft to plummet to the ground. It was that thought alone that focused him into keeping himself awake.

He was quite relieved when he finally heard some sort of sound escape his partner's lips in the form of a deep grunt, which was proceeded by something the red head had been longing to hear from the moment they'd finished the second sweep of the wasteland, ''There's nothing out here, I think we'd best head back.''

There was a sudden gasp, as Reno took a quick inhalation, preparing himself for his trademark swerve and dip, a move that he knew his bald partner didn't like, but he on the other hand found it strangely exhilarating.

The only feeling he could compare it to was that of when he was a child, riding in the car, and whenever the vehicle went over a small bump or slope, his tummy would give a funny sort of flip, making him feel as though he was on a roller-coaster and each rise and fall was like bobbing over a great mountain.

It gave him a joyful flash of nostalgia, reminding him of that little moment that had occurred so many times in his childhood, but which he no longer seemed able to duplicate.

Once he had performed his little trick, and apologised jokingly to Rude, who had now turned a rather peculiar shade, he pointed the helicopter in the direction of Edge, willing it to return to his home as fast as its blades would allow.

* * *

A/N= You know when I was doing my research (Always like to check I'm not doing a similar plot line to someone else...plus I like to see what other people have done!) I couldn't actually find many RenoxTifa chaptered fics out there, which surprised me!

You could say that this is a sort of prologue as there's not much action here, or dialogue for that matter, but I wanted to get a grounding for the character and give a bit of back story, so when I write the next chapter you won't get to confused and you'll have a feel for the situations in which story is taking place.

I've also decided to make this fic rather Reno centric, so we'll be seeing things more from his point of view and from his world, basically because it just happened to come out that way, but mostly because it felt right...plus Reno made me...he's a cheeky scamp...I mean he's even managed to weedle his way into being a pretty big character in my RufusxTifa fic...Tsst...But I don't mind ;)

Oh and the next chapter should be out in a few days, maybe two chapters if you're lucky!


	2. Ch2: Promises to the Dreamers

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :) Oh and I don't own the song either!

Author's Note: Chapter Two...Woop woop, gotta love a bit of RenoxTifa...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Two: Promises to the Dreamers**

A gentle rumble sounded around the red head, creating a somewhat comforting buzz that could have easily lulled him to sleep if he wasn't the one in the drivers seat.

It didn't help that he'd been stuck in a traffic jam for a good ten minutes now, and the sky was just beginning to darken, further adding to the cosy atmosphere, and soon the tired driver was letting out a long, lingering yawn, almost simultaneously to a loud crack of thunder over head.

Reno let out a grumbling sigh, _If it starts raining, I swear I'll just stop the car right here and have a kip... _For some reason the red head had always found the soft pounding of rain against the metallic chassis of a vehicle incredibly soothing,

Just when his head began to bob lazily, a familiar song started booming from the car stereo, and an energetic grin was soon spread across his face.

Before long Reno was tapping a solitary slender finger against the curved edge of the driving wheel, creating a mimic of the up beat rhythm sounding loudly from the small speakers.

_''We're leaving together,  
But still its farewell_

__

And maybe well come back,  
To Gaia, who can tell?

_  
I guess there is no one to blame  
We're leaving ground  
Will things ever be the same again?''  
_

''IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!'' The red head's voice reverberated around the vehicle and many of the surrounding motorists were looking on in either deep irritation, confused curiosity, or plain solid amusement.

Reno didn't seem to care about the outrageously noisy, and rather entertaining show he was putting on and continued to warble, ''Dolododo dodo do do do, dolodo do dododo...THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!''

Just as the next verse came around, a mass of honking car horns emulated from behind Reno, and it was then the realisation hit, that there was about ten metres of free space before him.

Although the red head was clearly embarrassed, and felt rather stupid, he didn't give an apologetic wave to his other motorists, in fact he rolled down his window and made a rather rude gesture, while pulling forward at a teasing slowly pace.

''Tsst...think they can beep me...I'M A TURK! I could have you killed!...After a tremendously lengthy process involving paper work and Tseng...BUT STILL!''

He carried on ranting to the supposed 'out of order' motorists until his car phone began to ring, and he drew his voice back to a soft grumble as he shifted his gaze to the small screen, and at seeing the familiar name displayed, all his previous angry energy evaporated and was replaced with a strange sort of childish excitement.

Leaning forward slightly, but still keeping his attention on the road, the red head pressed the tiny green button, ''Yo Tif, what's up?''

''Hey Reno!'' He could practically hear the smile in her voice, making the process of picturing her an ease, ''I just called to check that you remembered about tonight?''

The silence that proceeded seemed to answer her question quite clearly, and she let out a half disappointed, half testing sigh, ''Movie night...?''

''Wait, that's tonight? I thought we moved movie night to Wednesdays?''

This time when she sighed, it echoed with much more than just a hint of amusement, ''It is Wednesday Re...''

If she'd been in the car with him, she would have most definitely burst out laughing right there and then, his surprised flush far to comical for words, ''Oh right!...I...I knew that...''

''Good! So, seven-thirty your place? Great, bye!''

''No, wait Tif-'' He stopped when an all to familiar drone sounded from the machine, signalling to the red head that she'd hung up the moment the last word had left her lips.

Reno pushed on the accelerator pedal with some focus, attempting to will the traffic to hurry up and get out of his way, as the time displayed upon the car's digital clock, clearly stated it was six thirty and the red head was still quite a way from his flat.

* * *

The red head let out a low, agitated growl as he shook the key back and forth within the tight lock, a growing impatience radiating from his face when the door continued in its refusal to budge.

A few seconds of still silence passed before Reno suddenly and most unexpectedly let out a sort of war cry and rammed himself at the rather frail door, which proceeded to swing open immediately at the sudden impact.

The red head smirked proudly at the doors defeat, deciding to quell the depressing realisation that he'd basically furthered the poor condition of his home's entrance and instead turned his thoughts to the state of the rest of his apartment.

It wasn't a pretty sight. The place was littered with various pizza boxes, some empty, some containing old dregs of stale pizza, and on top of that there seemed to be a general untidiness to the place, not to mention a lingering smell, that no matter how hard he tried, Reno seemed unable to decipher its origin.

The red head made the quick decision that a hasty cleaning session was in order, knowing full well that if Tifa saw the place like this she would either faint or lecture him, and neither idea sounded too appealing.

He proceeded to get out a giant black bin bag and gather every scrap of rubbish within it, before having a tremendously dramatic battle with the aerosol can, whose lid refused to come off, that is until he hit it with his EMR, causing the plastic to melt just enough to allow him access and soon he had emptied a great deal of the spray into the air, causing himself to endure a slight coughing session.

Once the apartment was back to a reasonable state, the red head glanced at the clock, _five minutes left...perfect... _before heading to the bedroom.

Reno's chest was stripped of his Turk shirt within seconds and soon his form was nearly fully consumed by the wardrobe in which he was rummaging through for a new piece of clothing.

His search didn't seem to last long, though when he had pulled the garment on and went to close the wardrobe door, he got quite a shock, as in the reflective surface of the mirrored door, was the clear image of a pretty, if slightly naked, young red head of the female variety.

The unknown bed guest's reflection purred softly at him, ''Hey sexy...''

Reno's head snapped round as though needing to check the image in the mirror wasn't just some nightmarish mirage, and when he came face to face with the very real article, he let out a rather high-pitched yelp and slammed his back against the wardrobe, ''Who the hell are you!'' _Did I go out drinking last night...I can't remember!...oh wait, that probably explains it..._

The girl looked rather put out and more than a little insulted at the young man's refusal to recognise her and it wasn't long before she had sprung from the bed and had begun to collect up the feminine pieces of clothing the littered the room, muttering to herself as she went.

The young Turk cringed a little as he desperately tried to calm the situation, ''Yo, I mean, hey! You...Course I remember you...you're that girl...that I...Hold on have you been here all day?'' There was a slight pause as a curious wonderment took over him, and soon his eyes gave a strange sort of flash, ''Oh right...I get it! You were waiting for payment right?''

As soon as the words had left his mouth, the girl an almighty screech, ''WHAT? I'm not a prostitute you ass hole!''

Reno quickly came to the conclusion that he was going to end up being the bad guy whatever he said, but decided he should at least put up a good fight, ''Hey! I resent that, how am I suppose to know what you are, I can't even remember your name...In fact I can't even remember what we did! For all I know we spent all night watching re-runs of family guy and playing trivial pursuit!''

The girl didn't look to impressed, and glared daggers at him, ''You're despicable! You shouldn't have come on to me if you weren't going to have the decency to remember me!''

''Hey you're the one who went back to a complete stranger's apartment for the night, and a totally hammered stranger's at that! If you ask me...this is all your fault.''

She let out a rather obnoxiously high pitched squeak of outrage, and was about to storm out of the room when a familiar tentative knock sounded from the quite damaged front door.

The girl didn't seem to care and carried on her way, leaving a panic stricken Reno to quickly think up a plan of avoidance for the young girl and his new guest.

Being a Turk of course it didn't take long, and soon he had grabbed his current house guest firmly, but comfortably by the arm and proceeded to drag her hastily to the side of the living room, whispering to her as they went, ''You're gunna have to go out the window...''

''What?''

''Ok let me expand on that; I'm sure you're a lovely, conventional girl who likes to use front doors, but right now, mine is...occupied, so you're gunna have to use another exit. Thus...window!''

Tifa had never been too impressed with his womanising habit, so finding a young, half dressed female running in an angry huff from his house wasn't going to help matters, and he really wanted to be kept in her good books for at least a little while longer.

''Listen, I'm not just gunna-WOAH!'' Though the girl had intended to protest, she soon found herself being nudged gently from the window, and falling into the shrubbery, which Reno had in fact grown there on purpose incase such a situation every arose in which he found himself in need of an escape, and he didn't fancy falling straight onto the hard soil.

''Now, I'm very grateful for this, so I'm gunna give you a friendly piece of advice... '' The girl straightened herself, looking at the young man as though he'd gone insane, ''Next time you go to a bar, don't go home with the first drunk that shows you a bit of attention!'' Before she could let out another high pitched screech Reno slammed the window shut.

He had to admit that he felt pretty bad for treating the girl in such an...undignified way, but he definitely didn't believe the entire situation was his fault, and right now his attention wanted to be focused on Tifa, and if that was selfish, then it was selfish, after all nobody's perfect, and this was just one of Reno's many flaws.

He took a few deep breaths and ran five nimble fingers through his flame red locks, as if trying to fix himself into a state of charming calm for his new, and much more wanted, guest.

''Yo darling!'' He swung the door open as softy as he could, not wanting to cause even more damage, and flashed his best trademark Reno smirk at the young brunette, leaning against his outside wall.

''What took you so long?''

''Sorry, I...I was watching an advert on the television about...a poor...mistreated donkey!...And...and I just had to ring up and donate some money! Yeah that was it!''

Tifa cocked a highly amused eyebrow, ''Oh really...?''

Reno nodded confidently before stepping aside, realising he was still blocking the entrance, and no doubt the brunette had been waiting patiently for him to move.

She shone him a tired smile as though to say 'finally' and began to make her way inside, but just as she stepped over the threshold, the brunette let her smile transform into a hint of a smirk, ''Oh and Reno...''

''Hm?''

''Before you graced me with your presence, I saw a half naked girl crawling out of those bushes by your window. Care to explain?''

The red head's eyes flashed with a mingle of fear and surprise, and when he spoke his tone was subconsciously higher than necessary, ''Oh! Her...well she's...she...has an obsession with my shrubbery...she's always in it...I think she must be...you know...'' Reno gestured to his head and twirled one slender finger in the shape of a circle, clearly gesturing his definition of her mental condition.

There was a short pause as the brunette just stared at him, straight faced and serious before nodding in agreement, ''Thought as much...''

Reno was about to let a proud marching band play within his mind at his apparent successful cover up, when he saw the widened smirk forming upon his guest's pale pink lips, ''She must be mad to have slept with you...'' Tifa flashed him a cheeky wink before strolling past him and slumping herself down on the couch, leaving a rather relived Reno to close the door and count his losses, _Well at least she didn't shout at me...there's a plus..._

* * *

Though Reno got away with the bush girl incident, he had to make up for it by letting the young brunette choose the movies. It wasn't that she had particularly bad taste, but she tended to go for ones with sad or tragic endings, not all the time, but most of the time, and no mater how unreal it was, he didn't like to see Tifa upset, especially at something so trivial like a movie.

Of course there were plus points to watching tear inducing films with the brunette, as she had taken to using him as her comforter, and would always end up nuzzling herself into him, and he was more than happy to play the strong, brave teddy bear.

The night seemed to flash by like a lightning strike in a storm and before either could realise the clock was hitting in on the early hours.

Reno made a soft sort of grumble, becoming horribly aware that he would have to get up in to shorter time to be able to also get in a satisfactory rest.

Luckily for him the credits were just beginning to roll on E.T, the very last film Tifa had chosen at the beginning of the evening, thus bringing the movie night to a bitter-sweet end.

The red head looked down at the body slumped in his lap and was about to shake the brunette out of the sleep he had been almost certain that she had fallen into, but instead found her eyes narrowed, her brow furrowed, concentrating on the carpet by the side of television, as if musing over something, and not a good something at that.

Slowly and softly, Reno began to stroke the skin of her left arm, in an attempt to let her know he was aware of her, not realising just how intimate this little motion was, and before he knew it, he had opened his mouth and a strange, half choked voice emerged, as if his throat had suddenly become incredibility dry, ''Tifa is everything all right?''

The silence before her response was only momentary, though her form still remained fixed in position as though unable to face him, ''Yeah.''

Reno noticed how tense she had become, and soon he too was frowning, ''Are you sure? It's just...you seem a little quiet...''

''Hm.'' This time her answer was somewhat croaked, her mouth being forced shut, her other energies seemingly being used to withhold tears, totally unrelated to alien homecomings.

A hint of a smile appeared upon the red head's thin lips, his subconscious trying to lighten the situation to a bearable level of discomfort, which had invisibly formed around the pair, ''You know, you're not really convincing me...''

Her reply was quicker this time, in an almost desperate attempt to get her friend to drop the subject, ''Reno could you get me a glass of water?''

Though he was uncomfortable with the idea of leaving her alone, he carefully lifted her from his lap and sighed, ''Sure...''

When he returned with the glass of clear cold liquid, he found the young woman lightly snoring, her tummy pressed softly against the sofa, and within her hands she was cradling one of the plushy cushions.

He put the drink down beside her on the coffee table as quietly as possible, and pulled the blanket which lay over the back of the sofa and tentatively wrapped it over the brunette, making an effort to be extra gentle, not wanting to wake her from the peaceful slumber in which she looked so restful.

Reno continued to watch her,, subconsciously letting a slender finger brush a few strands of hair away from her face, allowing his eyes the pleasure of viewing her delicate features in the warming glow from the table lamp,_ I wish she'd tell me what was wrong..I feel so helpless like this..._

The red head had never quite felt so powerless, after all being a Turk, he was used to getting everything so easily, of course with the use of force, and usally many many guns, but this was something that no amount of Turk skill would help solve for him.

After what seemed like an eternity, he lifted himself up and whispered more to himself, than the sleeping brunette, before strolling tiredly to his bedroom, ''I will help you...I **will** make happy again...I promise.''

* * *

A/N= I just wanted to apologise for this being a few days later than I said it would be, and I know I've only put up one chapter, but do not fear for the next will be out tomorrow...unless my laptop explodes...but yeah anyway I'm sorry for the delay, but I've had issues with my concentration, most likely due to the fact I haven't slept in three days!


	3. Ch3: Invitations to Act

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Three...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Three: Invitations to Act**

The red head rubbed his temple roughly, attempting to remove the beads of burning sweat that glistened off his pale skin, like rain drops upon darkened emerald leaves.

There was definitely no denying that this was one of those really, really rare occasions that he wished he had a haircut like Rude's, and if he was being honest, he was one boiling step away from asking to borrow Elena's lady shave and just ripping it into his flame red locks.

He made a soft sort of half grunt, half moan, as the young man lifted himself gently and began making his way over to the fridge that lay over the other end of the staffroom.

His suit seemed to have become a giant incubator, and each space between fabric and skin was pulsating with hot steamy trickles of air, making him feel like he was in his own personal sauna.

An almost elated sigh of relieved joy escaped from his slightly parted lips as he pulled open the white plastic door and slumped his whole form against it.

''Reno...what are you doing?'' There was no mistaking the bald Turk's voice, after all, he spoke rarely, and when he did, people tended to notice.

The red head's friend and partner in the working sense had entered the staffroom shortly after him, and had seemed relativity comfortable, his suit remaining straight and dry, his face seemingly free from the effects of the humid environment.

''Yo...Rude...I just needed...a moment with the...fridge...''

''Hm.'' The standing man raised a silently amused eyebrow, before proceeding to the large sofa on which Reno had previously been seated, in the centre of the room, and slowly relaxed himself into the cushioned surface.

The red head remained still, his back and side mingled together, pushing themselves tiredly against the shelves that jotted out of the refrigerator, his body to exhausted and drained from his heated exertions to even recognise the painful sensations, and instead busying itself with the enjoyment of the chilly air.

A few quiet minutes ticked by, as Reno remained in place, seemingly refuelling his energies, and as Rude rested silently, his body still reclined upon the seating furniture, the pair remaining uninterrupted and purely comfortable with each others company. Though for both of them, the calm atmosphere they had created came to an end rather too soon.

The blonde haired female bust through the door so quickly that for a moment she only appeared to them as a pale blur against the dark backdrop of the plastered walls.

Elena's entrance had been so unexpected that the red head even gave a muffed yelp, which of course he quickly turned into a cough, before turning to his bald partner with raised eyebrows, as if expecting to share a look of exasperation at the blonde's unseemly form, only to find the man, lying quite still on the sofa, unmoved and unshaken from his doze, and Reno mused at how he managed to stay so chilled in such situations, yet if you even tried to take away his shades, he would transform into a shaking mess of a man.

Elena looked from the red head to the bald, a slightly quizzical arch forming upon her eyebrows, as if she was both confused and annoyed at the sight which met her chocolate brown orbs, and proceed to nod slowly, ''Rude...Reno...''

''Yo Laney...'' The red head raised his left hand and gave a small salute of acknowledgement, while the bald on the sofa just grunted, not bothering to lift himself.

The young blonde placed two rather disapproving hands upon her hips and pulled out her most patronizingly knowing tone, ''You two might want to get up.''

''And why may I ask, oh great one, would we want to do that?'' Reno had an eyebrow raised in mock protest, his tone challenging, yet with a hint of playful charm.

A confident smirk graced Elena's rose tinted lips, ''Because...Tseng is coming.''

Rude sat bolt upright immediately, two strong hands coming up to his shirt collar and straightening it, even though it had been perfect to begin with, whilst Reno remained where he was, he body still sprawled out by the icy food keeping piece of equipment.

The blonde sighed before making her way over to join Rude on the sofa, running a slender hand through her short, straight locks, and Reno was quick to catch the slight reddening of her skin, _Well at least I'm not the only one being affected by the damn failure in the air conditioning system...you'd think that Shinra would have fixed it by now...I bet checkout girls work in better conditions than this!_

Before he could air this question to the rest of the party, their familiar Raven haired superior entered the room, less dramatically than Elena of course, yet he held around him a clearer air of authority and Reno definitely found his presence to be more imposing.

Tseng eyed the red head on the floor, though kept his face straight and turned to the others, giving them a greeting nod, before using a spare hand to close the door behind him.

He gave each Turk a look that signified their need to pay attention, before proceeding into the room further, his voice soft, yet forceful and his eyes remaining penetrating and confident, yet seemingly fixed upon no-one in particular, ''Next Saturday...there will be a ball...held by Shinra...to celebrate the company's...revival...''

Reno didn't need to view his fellow Turk's to know their reaction, as he could basically feel the glow from Elena's face as it lit up with a girlish excitement, while he could perfectly imagine the panicked look behind Rude's dark shades as the thought of dressing up and being forced, no doubt, into socialising with strangers hit him like a billboard to the head.

The raven haired man didn't allow a great pause before continuing, ''Now, I'd like you all to come.'' Reno raised an eyebrow, _You mean we HAVE to come...,_ ''And I will expect you all to be on your best behaviour...'' _In other words, no drinking, no cussing and no having fun in any way, other than when entertaining the shareholders..._

''You will be representing Shinra, if you let this company down, there will be consequences...'' The last four words had a certain bite to them, assuring the Turks that he was being deadly serious in the threat.

''I would also like you all to make yourselves..presentable, after all image means a lot, and feel free to bring...guests...but remember to consider your chosen partners...carefully.''

_A guest mm... _Reno stroked the edge of one of the refrigerator shelves in thought, _A night out may be just what Tifa needs to cheer her up...plus...every girl likes getting dressed up...and dancing...and being in the company of the great Turk Reno... _A small, proud smile played across his thin lips, as he made a mental note to pop round to Seventh Heaven later that evening.

Tseng seemed to signify the closure of the subject with a straightening of his jacket, proceeded by a slight out take of breath, though not quite a sigh, ''Now...Rude I need to see you in my office...Reno...Elena...'' He nodded swiftly to the pair, before turning and exiting the room, following by the bald Turk, who seemed more than a little apprehensive.

Once the door came to a soft close, Elena shifted her gaze to the red head, her eyes brimming with a certain joyful clarity, her disapproving nature dismissed for this moment, ''So then, who are you gunna bring!''

Reno smirked and decided to play it dumb, ''To what?''

''To the ball you dumbass! What else?'' She didn't seem to have picked up on his teasing expression and instead looked at him like he was completely brain dead.

The red head's response was a simple shrug to which he received, in turn, an exasperated sigh, followed by a rather unexpected statement, ''Well just don't go leaving it until the last minute, and end up bringing that Lockhart woman.''

The pure block of silence that followed, seemed to give him away immediately, and soon Elena's eyebrows were raised to an obnoxious level, ''You can't be seriously considering bringing her...''

Again Reno decided not to respond with words and instead just gave her a look that clearly said, 'Yeah, what of it?'

''Tifa, but...she used to be in AVALANCHE...'' The blonde got up to get a better view of the male Turk and soon his eyes fell upon her disappointed, but not all together surprised expression, one which he'd seen her wear many times before, ''Didn't you listen to anything Tseng said?''

The red head shifted his gaze away, and racked his brain, trying to think if at any point he'd missed the raven haired Turk mention anything along the lines of 'Don't bring Tifa' or 'Tifa would be a bad choice for a ball guest', though when he found no immediate evidence of this, he looked to Elena for an explanation and a memory jog.

''He wants us to be careful about who we bring...and I...I just don't think an ex member of a terrorist group is a good idea frankly!''

Reno's brow furrowed slowly, a sudden realisation hitting him, that once again the blonde had picked up on something he, himself had not, and soon he felt a rush of anxiety induced aches.

The blonde sighed and gave him a look, as if to say 'You know I'm right...as always' before proceeding out of the staffroom, leaving a confused Reno to his thoughts and to the contents of the fridge, which he soon began to devour in an attempt to fuel his poor dried brain.

* * *

The young Turk had only been in his office for approximately thirty minutes when his work phone began to sound out an incessant drone of a beep.

He didn't have to answer it to know it was Tseng, after all Elena would just barged into his office if she wanted something from him, and Rude, well he hardly ever used the phone because that would mean he'd actually have to speak.

A sigh escaped past his thin lips, as the red head trailed his fingers along the wooden surface and onto the green answering button.

''Yo, what-'' He was cut of instantly by the soft, yet deeply stern tone which was indeed, as he suspected, a tone only able to be created by his raven haired superior.

''Reno, I'd like to see you in my office...immediately.''

He didn't even have a chance to reply before an unmistakable beep once again sounded from the machine, though he still muttered to himself, ''Coming Sir...'' as he lifted his slender body from the comfort of the swivel chair, the swivel chair in which he'd spend many boring afternoons swinging round in until he had felt like he'd had seven shots of vodka.

_Great...I wonder what I did this time... _Whenever he was called to Tseng's office, it was rarely for congratulations, or praise, and he had a feeling that this time it wasn't one of those special occasions.

The raven haired Turk's office was only down the corridor, so he was there in no time, and although his walk had been quite relaxed, he was now starting to feel a growing mass of nervous energy in the pit of his stomach, his mind likening the situation to one of a naughty student being sent to go see the headmaster.

He knocked on the door tentatively before popping his head around the plank of wood, ''Sir?''

Tseng didn't look up from his papers, or bother to respond with words, and instead raised his unused hand, and gave a swift flick of the wrist, commanding him in silence to enter.

After a few moments and a few more scribbles upon the report in front of him, the raven haired Turk leaned back slightly, and began flicking through the piles of papers on the corner of the desk, ''You intend to bring Miss. Lockhart to the ball.''

_Note to self...never tell Elena anything...she's a blabber mouth... _''That is correct Sir.''

''Good.''

Reno was in the process of concocting a list of reasons in his head, as to why he should be allowed to bring the young brunette when he his face suddenly contorted into a strange sort of confusion as his ears processed the words, which he was sure must have been misheard, ''Huh?''

''An ex member of Avalanche coming to our ball would be quite an asset...after all, if our most extreme haters have come to admire us...well...it could be useful in impressing our new image...''

The red head's brow contorted further, but this time in anger rather than confusion, not liking the idea of his friend being used by the corporation as some kind of deal breaker.

''I've talked to the President and we both agree...during the ball...we'd like you to...show her off.''

There was a slight pause, as Tseng seemingly waited for a response of agreement from the red head, though when all he received was a grimace in return, he leaned his body forward, keeping his eyes locked on the Turk standing in front of his desk, ''Do you have a problem with that Reno...?''

His voice basically dripped with a soft, yet deadly venom, the threat obvious and yet delivered within such a supposedly well meaning question, there was no denying that Reno's superior had become more detached and unfeeling since the encounter with the remnants, after all the mental torture they imposed upon him, well...it wasn't something that would heal as quickly as the physical wounds which he had obtained, though he had no idea how Elena had coped so well, but he did have a hint that she was masking away her true feelings, as so many females seemed to have the ability to do with such ease.

The atmosphere was growing tenser with each passing second, and suddenly, almost subconsciously, Reno found himself backing away, his body telling him to get out of there, ''No...Sir...''

''Good.'' The raven haired Turk flashed him the hint of a smile, that seemed rather clearly false, and turned his head back to the work upon his desk.

Just as the red head turned to leave the room, Tseng spoke, almost to softly to hear, but yet again with such a clarity of sinister authority, ''Oh and Reno...''

He shifted his head around to signify he was listening, ''You and Rude will being heading out on a...special mission...the day after the ball...you will report here at six am on Sunday morning, and don't go makingany plans for the following months, as this one will take you both quite a while to complete...And of course I will be expecting your complete efforts in dealing with the work's matter...discreetly...''

A deafening alarm bell seemed to ring within Reno's mind, as if trying to warn him, though about what exactly he couldn't be sure, but what he was certain of was the way things were sounding, at least to him anyway, were that this mission was something dangerously close to Shinra's...old...style.

But of course, a good Turk doesn't ask questions, so he nodded and left as quickly as his feet could carry him, suddenly realising why Rude looked so apprehensive before.

* * *

The brunette's face lit up when Reno staggered in through the door of 'Seventh Heaven', though the same could not be said for the young ninja, sitting on the stool beside the bar, whose head shot up like an alarmed meerkat, ''What does that smelly ginger want?'' Her words had been muttered more to herself and Tifa, but they were just at the right pitch and volume for the Turk's well trained ears to pick up on, and his top lip curled into a strange sort of half grimace.

_Why does that incessant little brat insist on calling me a ginger...my hair is clearly red...twit..._

Tifa tried her best to hide the smirk of amusement that had began to form upon her pale pink lips, but failed miserably, as when she opened her mouth, her voice came out as a high pitched, desperately suppressed giggle, ''Hey Re...did...did you want a drink?''

Reno fidgeting himself up to the bar, and shook his head, his eyes fixed on the glass in her hand, determined not to make eye contact, ''No thanks...I...I actually came to ask...well to invite you...to-'' He was more than a little annoyed when he was interrupted by the nagging voice of Yuffie Kisaragi.

''Spit it out Turk boy, we ain't got all day!''

The red head turned to face her, his face burning with a childish anger, ''Shut it you little twerp!''

''Reno!'' Tifa's expression was one of pure frustrated disappointment, as if to say 'How old are you...?' Though this just seemed to egg him on.

''What? She's the one who started it!''

At his point Yuffie had jumped from her seat and brought herself a hairs breath away from the young Turk's face, ''I did not! You stupid, scrawny-''

The brunette turned her current expression upon the ninja, though she added a hint of shock to her voice, obviously expecting for the young girl not to be so rude, ''Yuffie!''

The pair continued to spit out insults at one another for a good few minutes, their voices raising in tempo and volume with each word, until Tifa could take it no longer and slammed both her hands down, hard upon the bar top, silencing the ninja and the red head immediately.

She looked at them both for a few moments, arms crossed and a solitary eyebrow raised in disapproval, ''Now...Reno...say sorry to Yuffie.''

He opened his mouth in protest, but held back when he was met with a death glare from Tifa and instead shifted his eyes about before muttering quietly, ''Sorry Yuffie...''

The ninja looked rather over pleased, though the smug grin soon disappeared when the brunette turned to her, giving her a look that clearly said 'Your turn', 'Fine...'' She took a deep breath and barley whispered out the apology.

Tifa smiled with a proud sense of achievement and sighed before turning her attention solely to the red head, ''Now...you were saying?''

''Huh? Oh yeah! Right...do you...do you wanna come to the Shinra Ball with me on Saturday...I'd...I'd really appreciate it and...it'll be fun...promise.'' He locked eyes with her this time, though his voice still had a hint of a nervous waver, and the snort of amusement from the ninja sitting beside him didn't help matters.

Tifa furrowed her brow in thought for a few seconds before warming her features once again with a smirk, ''Well...I'll have to get a new dress...''

Although she hadn't actually used the exact words, he knew this was her way of saying 'yes' and he couldn't hold back his own elated, yet charmingly Reno style grin, ''I was told I have to get some new threads myself-'' He was interrupted the second time that evening by the young ninja, but this time it was with a very high pitched and excited shriek.

When both Tifa and Reno looked at her with complete confusion, she decided to elaborate on the frightening, yet power noise, that had escaped her, ''We can go shopping!''

The pair matched expressions exactly, their eyes widening, and their brows rising, and both, in a sort of rhythmic harmony, said simultaneously, ''We...?''

Yuffie seemed to ignore their flashes of pleading fear and instead jumped up excitedly, ''Yeah! I mean come on, we all know I have the best taste here...you need me! Plus you don't want to leave it up to Reno to tell you what looks good, do you Tif! So I think Thursday would be a good day hm? Oh this is gunna be so cool! We can get shoes and pretty dresses and makeup and a comb for Reno-''

She went on yammering for quite awhile and Reno slumped his head down upon bar, eventually droning out her voice and instead focusing his mind upon the creation of ideas on how he would deal with and in fact just get through a day of shopping with a very beautiful woman and a hyper active ninja.

* * *

A/N=Yes I know, I know, not much Tifa in this at all, but I said this would be Reno centric, after all it's about **his** struggle to come to terms with his feelings, thus we need development time with him and his life!

I've literally written out every chapter outline for the whole fic now, so I should be getting out the chapters quicker and easier! I've got to warn you that, although there will be nice bits and funny bits, the ending ain't gunna be overly fluffy...and to be honest we're gunna be going deeper into Reno's character and his devotion to Shinra...and it's not gunna be pretty...I've already got a sequel for this planned because the ending just begs for it, but anyway! I'll stop blabbing now!

Oh and I hope you all got the billboard to the head joke...if not...shame on you! If you haven't seen Advent Children though, then...I'll forgive you...just xD

And another thing, if Tseng and Elena seem a little off or OOC it's because they're meant to be (Well Tseng more than Elena) I know I haven't driven him totally off the edge, but I definitely wanted to give the hint that things aren't quite right with him atm and the sense he is becoming even more apart from the others, and we'll be exploring him and Elena's state of mind in later chapters and in the sequel. (Oh and I don't mean, 'state of mind' in the crazy sense...well...kinda lol)

Ok technically this is the end of the A/N as below I'm just gunna rant a bit about a certain event which took place this evening which I just feel I must write down!

Ok so...'chavs'...or 'pathetic teenagers with no ambitions, brains or prospects' as I like to call them...I swear tonight I was this close to running out of my house, chasing them down the street and knocking their bloody lights out, all in my froggy pyjamas. A frightening thought indeed.

My village used to be all right...well kinda all right, but since I was ten it seemed to start becoming infested with idiotic twits... and since then a lot of things, that I won't go into right now (I could literally write for pages about this but...) have contributed to them picking on my street, and my house...

They've broken about...ten car mirrors off, damaged our door, thrown things over our back gate, including bricks, and huge bottles, plastic luckily...but still full of drink and rather heavy... and once they even stuck a firework to our lounge window and nearly lit it, but thankfully my dad ran out and stopped them (my mum was sitting by that window, and the curtains were closed so she couldn't see what they were doing, and if they had lit it, and if it had gone off, she would have most definitely have been hurt, after all, having a window blasted at you ain't gunna feel like a mass of fluffy pillows...) And lots of other things I can't be bothered to name atm...

But anyway, back to the point! A few months ago, my dad put up two security cameras, either side of the gate, to catch the little twerps on film! And actually...it worked pretty well, and we even got one to pay back the damage they had done to a neighbours car, because we had them on film, clearly ripping off his ring mirror...

But basically, now a group of three fifteen/sixteen year old boys have taken it upon themselves to rip the cameras down in some strange attempt to stop them being caught...

And tonight was one of those nights...but the thing that amuses me beyond belief is the fact...because the camera submits the pictures onto a computer directly...we have the like...buggers... on film doing it! How thick are they?...I mean...really...if you're gunna try and rip a camera down at least cover your face! But no, their they are, clear as day, committing the offence! It amazes me that they actually have enough common sense to feed themselves!

Plus my dad ran after them and frightening the hell out of them, which again amuses me, because they act so tough and full of themselves, but show them an angry, fully grown male, and they literally turn into snivelling little kids...

Unluckily my dad didn't catch them this time...but I swear if I'm actually dressed next time they try it (and they will try it again...I can promise you that!)...I will chase them myself, and catch them (I'm quicker and smaller than my dad after all!) And made sure they know what real fear is, because while my dad may be scary in the, 'I'm a big man and I could squash you like a bug' kinda way, I'm scary in the, 'I will slowly and painfully tell you how sad and pathetic you are, whilst also torturing you with the pure glare of despising hatred from my oh so brilliant eyes, plus I'm a girl...I can shout and yell for hours without getting tired! Not to mention the fact I'm quite the sprightly fighter!'

So yeah...to conclude; Chavs suck!

Anyway to finish up on my rant! This would have been out a good three hours ago if I had been calm enough to finish it...but I had to wait...I was pretty angry...if you couldn't tell ;)


	4. Ch4: Unseen in the Twirls

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Four...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Four: Unseen in the Twirls**

The young Turk stood on the threshold, his feet steadfast, seemingly allowing his fear to seize control of his entire body, making it seem as if an invisible force field stood between him, and his dreaded destination.

His face was noticeably whiter than usual, which was surprising, as his complexion had always been pretty pale, apart from the two red tattoos below his beautiful aquamarine eyes of course, which presently were staring ahead, unblinking and glazed, widened with doubting nerves.

The skin coating his strong, slender hands was beginning to moisten with warm, rough, grit like sweat, that made him feel uncomfortably sticky and unclean, a feeling which only increased when the nervous condition threatened to spread under his suit and take effect on the rest of his body.

He had been standing there for what seemed like an eternity, the passing hordes brushing past him going unnoticed, the red head appearing somewhat in a hypnotised state, and even when a firm hand was placed on his shoulder, he didn't acknowledge its presence until the small thumb began to move in a half circle, delivering a familiar comfort to his form.

''Don't worry Reno...I'm here...it'll be ok...'' He didn't turn to face the young woman, but her voice was unmistakable, and the gentle natural perfume emulating from her was unique to her and her alone.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet and serious, ''I know...it's just...it's so...'' the right words seemed to evade the young Turk, and as he closed his thin lips, a small, muffled yelp sounded from the back of his throat, somewhat similar to that of a terrified canine.

It was large, enormous to the extent of the ridiculous, the bright white lights inside, appeared to drain the sanity out of its transfixed captives, who stalked around in groups like hungry hyenas looking for prey, and the rumbling vibrations of sound that escaped across the entrance took on a seemingly alarming, ominous edge.

Reno's gaze flickered slightly, as he raised his chin, elevating his line of sight, so as to allow his mind to take in and process the glittering letters displaying above him, clearly stating, much to his dismay, _**'Shinra Styles – Edge's No1 Department Store'**_

He let out a groan and slumped his head back down as if the invisible strings that were holding it in place had snapped, and in one long, drawn out motion, he shifted his head to the side, his gaze locking with the intended brunette, who in turn shone him a warming, understanding smile.

While the moment was sweet, it was somewhat short lived as the two were pulled apart by a a pair of desperate hands, belonging to the hyper active ninja, who proceeded to force herself in between the Turk and the brunette, like some kind of partition wall, whom Reno formed an intense desire to knock down with a bulldozer.

She had a sickeningly cheery smile plastered upon her face, and her tone was as energy induced as always, ''Ready to shop Turk boy?''

His response wasn't so much in words, but rather a series of low grunts, which seemed to exasperate the young ninja immensely.

''Oh stop complaining...scaredy cat...''

The red head whipped around to face her, clearly feeling a need to defend his pride, ''I am not!''

Yuffie stuck out her tongue, and pushed her hands to her hips threateningly, ''You are too! I can smell your fear from here!''

A disbelieving huff pasted through his lips, ''Bollocks.''

''I can! I am, after all, the best, most amazing ninja in the world!''

The Turk couldn't withhold his amusement and outburst a single shot of laughter, before regaining some composure and managing to retort, ''Yeah and I'm the milky bar kid...''

Before Reno could flash the brunette a proud smirk of achievement, he found himself colliding with a perfume display right inside the entrance to the store, the young ninja clutching her sides with merciless laughter at her own quick attack.

The red head pushed himself up in a comically ungraceful fashion and began straightening his shirt, and nodding his head, trying desperately to both reassure himself and regain some sort of dignity, ''It's cool...everything's cool...''

Though this apparently just seemed to inflame Yuffie's amusement factor tenfold and soon the brunette had joined in, the pair becoming overwhelmed with waves of hysterical laughter, leaving Reno to pick up the perfume bottles and replace them upon the display, under the scrutinising glare of a rather plastic looking sales assistant.

* * *

The red head looked up at Tifa, a hopeful quirk edged upon his brow, ''Well...what do you think?''

There was a long, drawn out pause as the brunette nodded her head slowly, almost as if trying to tease him, and when she spoke, her lips tried to force back the smirk that hinted at the corners of her pale pink lips, ''Yeah...yeah, it looks...good.''

Reno stood, hands on hips, and head cocked to the side, his hands holding onto the sides of the suit jacket, in a somewhat nervous fashion.

True, he wore a suit each and everyday, but that was always the same; navy blue, with a crisp white shirt, no tie, as was his preference, though the suit he wore now, whether or not due to the fact he usually wore nothing else than his uniform, appeared shockingly different.

It was black for a start, well the jacket and the trousers were anyway, and the material being so much darker than his normal shade, seemed to make his pale skin look even more flawless.

The shirt underneath was an eye-catching bright crimson, the colour almost twinning exactly with the Turk's spiky, flowing locks and in between this and the jacket lay a waistcoat, dark in shade, though stitched with flame red thread, much similar to the tie, which hung perfect underneath his collar, and though the brunette had managed to persuade him to wear the foreign item for once, his shirt still lay un-tucked and the jacket unbuttoned.

Reno seemed to doubt the young woman's response and was about to interrogate her further, when a very ecstatic and rather excited Yuffie ran around the wall, and into the changing rooms, carrying what looked like a balled up top in her right hand.

She stopped the moment her eyes met with the newly suited Turk, and stared at him for a few moments in silence, before breaking out, once again, into a wide cheerful grin, ''Awww! Don't you look cute!''

_Cute! _This seemingly innocent comment, made the red head grow even more unconvinced of the choice outfit,''What do you mean cute? I'm a Turk...I'm suppose to be...mysterious and... and menacing!''

The ninja saddled up to the brunette, but her gaze remained on Reno, along with a cheeky smirk, ''Yeah, whatever you say cutie pie...''

The red head made a soft growl before turning to the mirror to check over his appearance, leaving Tifa to deal with the ninja.

''Now Tifa, what do you think of this?''

The brunette scanned her eyes over the piece of clothing in Yuffie's eager hands and soon a low arch formed upon her brow, ''It's a plain, white t-shirt Yuffie...it's kinda hard to have an opinion on it.''

The ninja waved her free arm about in a sort of excited protest, ''Yeah but, I was thinking...an afternoon with glitter pens, and the 'World Encyclopedia of Materia' and this could be quite the pulling outfit!''

A single eyebrow raised above its normal height, while the other remained in place upon Tifa's, otherwise still, face, ''Right... but I thought you went looking for a dress for **me**...?''

Her eyes widened so suddenly, she almost looked like a cartoon character, ''Oh yeah...that...'' A small nervous smile appeared upon her lips, ''I'll be right back!'' And with that the ninja darted from the room so quickly she somewhat resembled the road runner and Tifa shared a smirk with the reflected form of Reno, displayed upon the mirror.

With their gaze locked together, he cocked an questioning, if slightly amused eyebrow, ''Cute?''

Tifa shrugged her shoulders, while her allowing her smirk to increase, ''Meh.''

* * *

A silent yawn crept slowly from the red head's parted lips, as his form slumped lazily down upon one of the velveteen chairs, his feet too tired and sore to bare the full weight of his frame any longer.

After the ninja returned from her mission empty handed, Reno had been forced to spend the last three hours traipsing around the department store in a seemingly endless search for 'the dress' and it had not been, what he would describe, as an enjoyable experience.

The group had come across many dresses, so many in fact that the red head had begun to lose count, not to mention fear for his sanity and each and every time there had been something 'wrong' with them, whether it be that they were too short, too long, too dark, too light, too heavy, too frumpy, too slinky, too boring, too wacky, too slutty, too tight, too baggy, too formal, too casual, too gothic, too medieval, too modern, too bright or just too weird, every single one was 'wrong'.

It had rather shocked the Turk when they actually managed to find one that both Yuffie and Tifa seemed to like, though oh course he didn't hold too much hope that she'd like it enough to buy it and end his misery.

''Yo, you got the damn thing on yet?''

For a while all he heard in response was a gaping void of deathly silence, but eventually he heard a rustle of fabric and a quiet voice call back from behind the curtain.

''Ok, I'm coming out...''

Reno let out a relived sigh, _Finally... _and propped his head up against the wall, as he leant his chair back slightly.

It would have been an understatement to say that he was stunned by what he saw, when the young woman emerged from behind the drapes, and glided across the room towards him.

The smooth, silky material hung off of her like floating liquid, falling upon her curves like a second skin, though not appearing tight or strained, and as the skirt area flared out, it created an almost classic twist, though still kept the look formal enough for the event for which it was intended.

The sleeves were nonexistent, her arms so well toned that to cover them up would be almost like an insult to them, the straps remaining a healthy thickness in order to support her curvaceous lines, though not chunky in the slightest.

It was sapphire in shade, the deep, glimmering blue bringing out her crimson tinted eyes beautifully and complimenting her darkened brown locks to the point of perfection.

It was simple, elegant, and somewhat pure in design, as though the maker had only owned this one piece of fabric and had been forced to make the single plainness to shine by itself, and if that had been the case, they had succeeded brilliantly.

Yuffie, who had been sitting cross-legged on the royal blue carpeted floor, hung her head back and allowed her mouth to fall open in a delighted surprise, her voice not more than a whisper, ''Beautiful...''

''Yeah she is...'' She turned to see the red head, who proceeded to pull himself from the chair, his mind and body seemingly transfixed by the brunette, to whom he began to approach.

Yuffie cocked at eyebrow and muttered after him, though she knew he wouldn't hear, ''I was talking about the dress...''

Tifa stroked her hands down the sides of the material somewhat nervously, before resting them upon her hips, while lowering her chin, allowing her criticising gaze, a better view, ''So, what do you think? Good enough for Shinra?''

''It's perfect, every other girl there will be jealous, even more so than Rude is of my amazingly good looks!'' She flashed him a disbelieving smirk, as he grinned enthusiastically, refusing to deny his somewhat cocky claim, ''I'll have to fight to get a single dance with you...''

Tifa's lips parted slowly, ''Well then...'' her hands reached down to his, and pulled them into position, one upon her waist and the other entwined with her own, while her free hand rested upon his shoulder, ''...we'll just have to dance now!''

The ninja watched the pair with some degree of amused confusion, _Dancing in a changing room...and they say I'm weird... _As they twirled together, the red head stumbled and almost lost his balance, causing the brunette to giggle, in an almost childlike joy, as her head rested down upon her dance partner's shoulder, in an attempt to calm herself.

Yuffie let a small smile grace her delicate lips, she couldn't deny the fact that Reno possessed an uncanny ability to make her friend happy, in fact he seemed to live off of it, as if he need it more than air, as if he needed **her **more than-

_Oh...my...Gawd! _The ninja's eyes narrowed as realisation hit her like a Materia to the head, and she cursed at her own stupidly for not seeing what had been growing in front of her, steadily,from the first moment he'd ever entered Tifa's bar,''He's in love with her...''

* * *

A/N= Ok this took me a little while longer to get up than I'd expected...but I had to catch up on some sleep, and then I got distracted by the weirdness thing on the Eurovision semi final... I swear I heard one singer belt out 'Screw the gypsies!'' And the dude looked like Mario...but taller...It was incredibly distracting!


	5. Ch5: The Reality of Nightmares

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Five...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Five: The Reality of Nightmares**

_The purest, whitest, unclouded snow covered the __once payne's grey shaded rocks, the layer upon the ragged edges of the slate slightly thinner, thus making the ice partials sparkle like a sheet of perfectly cut jewelled crystal._

_Black, hardened leather shoes crunched softly against the cold, frozen mix of snow, water and soil, and with the added pressure from the weighted, trained body, sunk ever so slightly with every, slowly controlled step._

_The young man was seemingly invisible within his new, yet not entirely unfamiliar surroundings; his form blending seamlessly among toweringly sinister cliffs, that cast darkened shadows across the otherwise whitened plane, and the snow dusted pine trees, whose emerald green spines poked through the pale blanket, like prickles on a camouflaged hedgehog. _

_Yet he couldn't help but feel an extreme sense of vulnerability, and confusion at his hidden shape, the suited uniform which he wore was so different and bold compared to the desolate space, and yet seemed able to hide him so easily, it felt strange; as if he wasn't even there, as if he wasn't even real, as if he wasn't even alive._

_He was seemingly alone, with only his movements echoing around the hollow, eerily pristinely, haunting beautiful scene, and yet he did not feel as such, his mind unsure or unable to believe completely what his body was telling him, the feeling similar to when a person is knowingly alone in their house, yet no matter how hard they try to convince themselves otherwise, they still feel uneasy, the smallest creak or lightest brush against their skin, intensified within their brain, alerting their senses and racking them with an uncomfortable amount of fearful concern. _

_Suddenly, without any real warning or sense of impending presence, the young man found himself face to face with the black, void like, looming entrance of a cave, and as he peered within its darkened, unknown depth, the realisation hit, that his body had drawn him there unknowingly; this place was there for him to find._

_Again within one blink of his aquamarine eyes, he found himself a good way inside the cavernous centre, though now, he knew for a fact he was not alone._

_''Rude?'' The bald Turk had appeared soundlessly on his right, his form unmoving, his hidden stare directed straight ahead, as if transfixed._

_''Rude...?'' The young man tried once more, and this time he received a response. _

_The bald Turk turned his head around in one swift motion, along with his left hand, within which he held a crimson stained knife, the handle facing towards his aquamarine eyed partner, and spoke clearly, his voice as steady and emotionless as always, ''Did you want this back?''_

_It was then that he noticed the darken red line running from Rude's outstretched arm and all the way round to his upper chest, where a dampened patch had been formed from a small, yet deep wound, which looked shockingly fresh, and still leaking bright red liquid. _

_Before he could react in any way, the bald Turk had disappeared into the shadows as quickly and as quietly as he had arrived, leaving the young man with the knife now grasped within his own hand and yet he had no memory of taking it._

_A softly feminine, mockingly familiar voice echoed around his ears, ''Reno, what are you standing there for like a goon! You're missing all the fun!'' _

_The instructing call seemingly directed his body further into the cavern, forcing him to enter a very much shadowed plane, in which nothing moved, except under the two dim rays of whitened light that flowed down from unseen holes, as if there were spot lights hanging from above, where a surreal scene was now playing out underneath and within them. _

_''Tifa...'' His brow furrowed and contorted, both in confusion and anger, as he watched the brunette twirl around within the arms of an unknown red head, whose face was blurred and hidden, yet his laugh could still be heard, as the young woman's body pressed against his own as they danced together to unheard music._

_His eyes shifted slightly into the direction of the others within the opposite light ray, and this time his brow no longer showed signs of aggravation, just confusion, as he observed the three familiar forms._

_Elena and Tseng sat back to back, heads lolled forward as if unconscious, through sleep, or violence, he couldn't tell, yet their legs were bent and propped up, and their arms locked together, as if they were bound with invisible restraints. _

_Behind them was the towering vision of the blond haired President, his form leant lazily against the hilt of a sword which was held in position, the red tinted blade pointing down and half buried within the unseen ground. _

_A smirk appeared upon the pale, authoritative face of the blonde male, as he gazed over at the dancing pair, and as the red haired male spun Tifa away from him, he seemed to share the expression, as though having an unheard conversation._

_Tifa was now facing the watching young man, her form trembling, almost as though suddenly waking up from a coma, not knowing where she was or what was going on, yet seemingly aware of the danger surrounding her._

_Her deep, crimson tinted eyes were wide and fearful, her lips parted, and the whisper that escaped them was filled with such terrified desperation, it almost sounded like a plea, ''Reno?''_

_The young man couldn't move or speak, but only watch, as the gloved hands of the unknown red head grasped around the brunette's neck and with one forceful motion and a deafeningly exquisite crack, severed the bones within, from one another, killing her instantly. _

_As her limp, broken body fell to the floor, her eyes remained open and fixed on Reno, yet they were now blank and lifeless; everything that had been present just moments before, now gone, hollowed out and leaving nothing behind._

_The invisible hold upon the young man ceased the moment her body hit, and within seconds he was charging towards her killer, but before he could even raise his arm in attack, his entire form was enveloped within a whirlpool of black, burning feathers..._

Reno shot up upon from his warmed mattress, the small beads of cold sweat which had formed a damp, clammy blanket upon his brow, were now able to roll freely down the sides of his face, as he gasped desperately, in some sort of attempt to calm both his body and his mind.

_What the hell...? _His hand shook slightly as he ran it through his sweat drenched locks, the red head still in recovery; he had never been so terrified by a dream in his life, and yet it had seemed so real, so vivid, and that's what freaked him out the most.

His vision was still slightly dazed as Reno's aquamarine eyes flickered over to the wardrobe opposite him, and it took him more than a few moments to focus on the item suspended from the door by the metal hanger inside.

It was only when the young red head managed to make out the newly bought, tailored suit, that the realisation hit him; it was Saturday morning, that night, would be Shin-Ra's ball.

The pieces of material hanging in front of him, swung almost ominously with the breeze that entered through the small gap from the opened window, whilist Reno proceeded to eye the clothes thoughtfully for a few seconds, before letting out a light, slightly shaky sigh.

His expression tightened slightly, as though his mind was forcing it to forget or ignore everything running through in the back of his psyche, and after taking a few steadying breaths, the red head raised from the bed and walked ever so calmly over to the bathroom to take a shower.

_

* * *

_

''Punch?''

''Huh?'' The young Turk raised his head from its lowered position, and turned to face the brunette with ever so slightly dazed eyes, the soft voice reverberating within his mind, just enough to surface his concentration.

Tifa's perfect brow furrowed lightly, enough to hint both her confusion and concern, and as she directed her right hand towards the beautifully dramatic crystal bowl, which was filled with a deep, orangey-red liquid, she asked again, ''Punch...?''

The red head observed the brightly coloured beverage intently for a few moments, before nodding quickly, though his darting eyes seemed to reveal that his mind was still not completely focused on the present.

The young woman sighed as she begun ladling some of the fruity punch into a small glass tumbler, ''You ok Re? You seem a little...distracted?''

'Yeah...sorry, just...tired.'' As Reno spoke he ran two cooling fingers over his lightly inflamed lids, and after being handed his beverage he took a large gulp, in the somewhat desperate hope that it would clear his troubled mind, even if only slightly.

The young Turk's usually bright aquamarine eyes seemed somewhat dulled as they surveyed the ballroom, which had quickly been filling since the pair had first arrived at the new Shin-Ra HQ.

There was no avoiding, both the immense surprise, and also tinge of annoyance that the brunette had expressed when she'd first arrived at the rebuilt, and redesigned building, after all, Shin-Ra had supposedly scaled down, to some extent any way, and yet their new headquarters seemed to suggest otherwise.

The moment she'd stepped out of Reno's car, she'd shown some suspicious confusion at the strange sort of imposing resemblance which the building held, maybe not in the exact same way that old, Midgar based site had been, but there was no doubting that they'd kept gentle, almost ever so slightly concealed hints of their previous image, and yet, supposedly, this ball was their attempt at changing the way both the public and the investor's viewed them.

Tifa couldn't help but find the whole thing ridiculously contradictory, an opinion which she shared, rather forcibly with the red head, whom in turn, had no choice but to defend the company to which he dedicated himself to so completely, even though, much to his own distress, a niggling set of doubts had slowly begun to grow in the depths of his mind.

Though of course he had to mask it away, after all, he was a Turk, he lived for his work, and there was no way he was about to let it either affect him, or dissuade him from the job he loved; he refused to let stupid ideas alter either his belief or commitment to Shin-Ra.

His gaze soon shifted back to the young brunette at his side, whose deep, crimson-tinted eyes were busy admiring the dancing couples, whose forms were gracefully twirling around upon the darkened polished wooden floor, and in that instant he decided to cheer up, and make the evening enjoyable, even if just for her.

In one swift, let softly smooth motion, Reno locked his hand around hers and raised it in a courtly fashion, before letting a gentle smirk play across his thin lips, ''My lady, will you allow me the pleasure of a dance?

Tifa was unable to hold back the genuine smile of gratitude that soon formed upon her soft features and within moments she replied, in much the same fashion in which she was asked, though notably with lesser charming calm and more than a hint of playful excitement, ''Why Sir, it would be my honour!''

Reno returned her smile, and began leading the young brunette towards the dance floor, weaving their forms, ever so delicately through the other dancing couples and into the centre, before wrapping a suited arm around her smooth, silk covered waist.

It wasn't long before the pair were spinning along with the rest of the floating guests, their bodies moving so rhythmically within the twisting, turning sea of seemingly perfectly bendable colours, the different fabrics and styles all melting into one as they twirled between one another.

Within the whirling masses, the red head caught sight of Elena, her form leaned against a neighbouring wall, and her gaze locked on the other side of the room, a somewhat alertly pained expression hidden beneath the blank one which she was displaying. In the end she had come alone, which had, in no terms of amusement, surprised him, after all, for all the jokes he made at her expense, he did in fact believe her to be one hell of a woman.

Whist his body spun once again within the dance, Reno managed to follow the young blonde's eye line, and soon found his aquamarines orbs locked upon his raven haired superior, whose body was almost held in exactly the same position as Elena's, even his expression was similar, the same blank emptiness, and yet with a hint of something underneath.

Reno's brow furrowed as he looked on at the pair, whom never seemed to speak, and in fact went out of their way to avoid one another's company, yet now, were both gazing at the other, though not lovingly, and yet not angrily either, just as if they both...

_Hollow..._

The red head had been so distracted in his observations, he had seemingly failed to notice the approaching form, that is until a gentle, yet slightly threateningly firm hand, rested upon his shoulder.

''May I cut in?'' Rufus stood beside the two, whose bodies had halted in their rhythmic motions, flashing a creepily fake smile at the red head, as though telling him what he already knew; his question wasn't really a question, but an order, and to refuse wasn't even an opinion.

Without a single word, the red headed Turk nodded nervously and stepped aside, letting the young President take his place, before hastily rushing through the other dancers and away from the floor, not even daring to look at the brunette, whom he was sure would be writhing at being left in the company of the arrogant blonde.

As Reno hide behind on of the pillars littering the room, he heard a familiar, if rather unimpressed voice sounding from his left, ''Tifa looks pissed...''

The bald Turk had somehow managed to glide over to him without Reno's realisation, and now just stood there, steady as ever, supposedly looking on at the President and his new found dance partner.

The red head chuckled lightly and somewhat half-heatedly, ''She's dancing with Rufus...what do you expect?'

His bald co-worker proceeded to put on a display of his trademark silence, and if he was being honest, Reno hadn't really expected to receive a response from him anyway, so instead decided to carry on as he always did; filling the gap with more questions.

''So Rude...about this mission...where are we going?...Do you know?''

''No.''

Reno raised a solitary eyebrow before letting out a deep sigh, again another moment of quiet proceeded to settle down around them, though this time, quite surprisingly, it was broken by Rude, who spoke with just the smallest hint of concerned emotion, ''Have you told Tifa?''

The red head knew what he was talking about immediately, and in actually fact he'd somewhat forgotten about it, after all his mind had been on other things, though when he thought about it, there was no getting away from the feared realisation, ''Nope...still haven't gotten up the balls to tell her...''

''Well...don't just go and disappear.''

It would have been an understatement to have said the red head looked insulted, ''Hey! What kinda of a friend do you take me for! I will tell her...later!'' He shifted his gaze away before continuing in a mutter, ''Once she's hammered.''

Before Rude could protest at this idea, a rather loud huff sounded from the very centre of the ballroom, to which then proceeded a flash of sapphire blue material and darkened brunette locks storming from the room and out onto one of the floors marble white balconies, leaving a smirking Rufus strolling away and up to the raven haired Turk, who was now seated in one of the surrounding booths.

Reno's brow furrowed slightly as he observed the scene,_ That smirk... _it had seemed so similar to the one within his dream...his nightmare, but as soon as he realised what he was thinking, he quickly shook his head, _He smirks like that all the time...all the time..._

The bald Turk turned to face his younger co-worker, ''Aren't you going to go after her?''

''Yeah...of course.'' Reno's voice had seemed honest in it's conviction, yet there was no denying it also sounded distantly distracted, and as he quickly took off towards the correct balcony, Rude looked on, his eyes narrowing in thought, beneath his darkened shades.

* * *

A cool breeze rippled over the thin, light material of the young Turk's suit shirt, the surface free from the restraints of the overlaying jacket, whose buttons had been undone fully, and now floated by his sides comfortably.

As the red head proceeded forward, his hardened soles were seemingly undetectable against the smooth surface of the marbled balcony, though as he continued to approach the young brunette, the small shifting motion her form gave, silently told him that she'd known he was there from the very moment he'd stepped out from the ballroom.

Before he could raise his hand to her shoulder, a trembling, yet undeniably pained whisper escaped from her pale pink lips, and out into the cold night air, ''How could you?''

Reno's brow furrowed immediately, being neither completely sure of his misdeed or whether he'd actually committed it, though he didn't have to wait long for an answer, as the brunette swung around to face him, her skin littered with glistening, reflective tear trails, ''Did you just bring me here to be some sort of...company aid?''

_Oh shit...Rufus...what have you done... _The genuine expression of remorse that lined the contours of the young Turk's face told her everything she needed to know; that he wanted her here regardless, but...well, whatever Rufus wanted...that was just another bonus...for Shin-Ra anyway.

A small, bitter-sweet smile graced the corners of her softened mouth, and when she spoke, her words sounded more like a statement than a question, almost as if admitting it to herself, ''Nothing's changed has it...''

A few moments passed as they shared a look of quiet understanding with one another, though after giving a deepened sigh the brunette continued, ''This company...it's still as twisted as it ever was.''

This seemed to strike up something within the red head, and within a flash his expression had changed completely, from one of apology to one of offence, ''That's not true!''

''No? Well you would try and defend your beloved Shin-Ra...''

An almost mocking chuckle sounded out from the red head's thin lips, ''Are you jealous of a company?''

''No, I just...I just don't want you to turn into one of them...'' Tifa gazed straight into the Turk's aquamarine eyes, her own glinting with a wet, reflective sheen, and as she spoke, her voice shook ever so slightly, ''I'm scared for you Re...''

''You really care about me that much?''

''Of course I do...I've lost to many people...people I care about because of this...because of Shin-Ra...'' She lowered her gaze now, as if somewhat ashamed of the prickly tears now sliding down her cheeks, ''I'm not prepared to lose any more.''

Reno himself was now having a rather hard time suppressing his own emotions, which were threatening to boil over at any moment, and before he knew what he was doing or how he had gotten there, he was locked in a tight, warm embrace with the young brunette, his arms wrapped around her smaller form, whilst her head lay buried within his chest.

They stayed like that for more time than was comfortable, though neither seemed to notice or even care for that matter, but as Tifa's gentle sobs slowly ebbed away, the red head's own pained expression ceased from existence, and was replaced with another, rather more apprehensive one.

''Tifa...''

''Hm?'' Her voice was ever so slightly muffled against the material of his shirt.

Reno took a light breath in a somewhat vain attempt to calm his now rapidly beating heart, ''I'm...I'm going away tomorrow...''

When all he was met with as a response was silence and a slight tensing of the body locked within his grasp, he continued, though his voice decreased in confidence with every word uttered, ''I've been given...well there's a new mission and...it's gunna take awhile so-''

The brunette moved forcibly now and stepped back, though not completely out of his arms, ''How long?''

He gave a genuine gentle shrug, before answering, a saddening smile hinted at upon his thin lips, ''Months maybe.''

''Months...?...Well...What are you gunna be doing? What's it about? Will it be dangerous...?''

He shrugged once again, and when he spoke his voice was noticeably softer, ''I don't know...''

''And you never did ask...'' Her tone had been lined with a somewhat knowing disappointment, though it definitely held more than a hint of anger within its bite.

Reno's gaze shifted down to the floor as he sighed, before it raised once again to meet hers, ''It's my job Tif...''

Fresh, sparkling tears flowed down the sides of her face as an overwhelming stream of emotions seemingly broke their banks,''I wish it wasn't...'' Tifa gasped in beneath her lightened sobs, before taking in a shaky breath and muttering ever so softly, ''I don't trust them Re...I don't trust Shin-Ra.''

Reno lifted his right hand up to her tear stained cheeks and began wiping away at the warmed trails, ''Well...if you can't trust them...trust me...please.''

A few moments of deafening silence passed between them, as the young woman seemed to somewhat observe the Turk, seemingly debating the unknown thoughts, which were battling for conquest inside her mind.

In one smooth, slow motion, Tifa slipped out from under the red head's hold and begun strolling away and back towards the ballroom, muttering quietly as she went, ''I'm not sure I can...'' though it wasn't till she had seemingly disappeared from sight, that her words appeared to reach him, and as he turned to gaze back at the starry twilight above him, he whispered softly to himself, ''I'm not sure I can either...''

* * *

A/N= Ok I feel I have to apologise for the lateness of this and of my other stuff as well...but I do have reasons! My family went away on holiday last Saturday and I've been home alone for the week, thus I've had to spent a good deal of my time looking after the chickens (yes I have pet chickens...lots...and they all follow me around!) mostly due to the fact each one kept knocking over their water containers, and I had to keep going back and refilling them! And it's been really hot here and I didn't wanna wake up one morning to dead, dried out chickens!

Also, I literally haven't managed to get to sleep till either 5 or 6 in the morning for two weeks now, and because of getting up for the chickens, and to put the bins out and to collect the post...I've basically had to get up after...4 hours of sleep? Which is ok for a day or two...but a whole week...well it's been ROUGH!...Hopefully once they get back, I'll be able to get some more sleep into me... and I'll be able to churn out chapters a lot quicker!

Anyway, on to the chapter! I know this one was a LOT more serious than the previous one...hope that doesn't put anyone off...but yeah, it needed to be! The next two chapters will have very little Tifa in (if any at all) though she will be hinted/mentioned etc!

Oh and for all the people that read my RufusxTifa fic: I know this chapter started out a lot like my most recent Rufus Tifa chapter, but I'd already written the beginning ages ago, and this one is an actual dream and it's on a completely different subject...I wanted it there...it wasn't that I was copying my own idea or anything XD

And about the dream...well obviously it is supposedly hinting at things in following chapters and the sequel...though it's not a word for word thing, or even a definite, anyway...it's meant to be more...symbolic! It was actually hard to write...cause I could see it in my head, but it was hard to describe...hopefully it came across all right...


	6. Ch6: Missions of Remembrance

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Six...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Six: Missions of Remembrance **

The young Turk rocked back and forth gently, upon the firm, toughened heels of the ever so slightly scuffed boots, the laces which entwined their way through the eye-lock metallic holes, were pulled tight for surety, but still loosened in his own personal style, and even the footwear's blackened leather shape, which came all the way up to the beginnings of his knee, seemed to look ever so 'Reno' in their informal creases.

His shoes were not the only part of his uniform to have been changed for the mission; his trousers had been replaced with a thickened pair of almost darkened khaki combats, the material much rougher against his skin, than his normally silky smooth pinstripes, his once suited upper half had also been transformed, and instead of his usual crispy, loose shirt and tailored blue jacket, he now wore a pale, white t-shirt, whose tight fitting cotton clung to every contour of his slender, yet toned physique, whilst the strangely light folds of blackened leather from his trench coat, hung freely down about his lower calf.

The change in clothing didn't usually bother him, after all, he'd often had to change for missions before, and not always into the most flattering of pieces, but it had always been for purposes of disguise rather than for actual physical need, and seeing as the red head still hadn't been informed, as of yet, where this new mission was located, the unexpected, roughened threads, were doing nothing for his hidden batch of nervous uncertainty, which had been brewing slowly ever since Tseng had first mentioned the job, and the secrecy which surrounded it, stopping even him, the player and participant, from being informed of the details.

But of course...it was not his place to question either his superior or his work...and even thinking about the possibility of doing so was not something a Turk did...

As he stood there, upon the highest most platform of Shin-Ra HQ; the roof, the red head seemingly managed to cut himself off completely and transport himself to his own space of secluded silence, as if some invisible, impenetrable barrier had been built up around him, and even when the heavy, unfeathered helicopter propellers started to spin against their metal frame, causing previously non-existent wind to be produced like newly created ripples upon a glass lake surface, it had no affect upon him, his form remaining rooted, whilst his mind stayed focused as it wandered back to the events of the previous night.

* Flashback *

The car's rumbling engine was the only thing that sounded about the cushioned interior of the otherwise metallic chassis, which was thrumming like a violin string, being played with the perfect amount of swiftly pressured motions, as the red head shifted his gaze from the steering wheel, to the view being enhanced up by vehicle's set of head lights.

Tifa's form was even more motionless as it lay, lazily slumped against the soft, pliable seat, her restraint when coming to movement, or speech, seamlessly effortless in its control, as neither her mind, nor body wished to carry out either action of communication with the young Turk sitting so closely beside her.

Not a word had been spoken between them since the brunette had left him on the balcony, where he had proceeded to stay, for a good portion of the evening, before eventually returning back, into the wealth drenched ballroom, in which he had soon proceeded to find and follow his female guest out from, and into the moonlit car-park.

She hadn't asked him to take her home, but the single look of hollow, distrusting hurt that she had given him upon their re-acquaintance had told him without any doubt, that she wanted and would be going home, and seeing as she had not driven their herself, he was the only party guest, whom was able to take her back.

He didn't mind of course, quite the opposite in fact, but the atmosphere had changed between them, from one of friendly warmth, to uncomfortable quiet, and with her last words still so fresh in his mind, the journey was always going to be painful to endure, in the non-physical sense.

Reno pulled on the handbrake as he brought the vehicle to a slowed stop in front of the brunette's bar, on top of which was housed a beautiful flat, in which the young woman was no doubt desperate to lock herself within, wanting to hide away from the world, the evening's events and of course, him.

As she clicked open the car door, the red head was sure her head had wavered in its movements, as though flickering between making the decision on a spoken farewell, but that moment soon passed and she exited the confined space, purposely closing him off from her, with the softest push against the outside metallic material, in some last, ditch attempt at mercy.

And then he was gone, leaving only the reverberations of wheel friction and heated engines echoing around the twilight air, knowing he would not see her again, until the mission's safe completion.

* End of Flashback *

''Reno.''

The deep, emotionless voice of his towering, bald partner was enough to snap the young Turk out from his brooding stance and back to the reality of roaring flight transportation, and cold roof air, to which he responded with a concealed shiver and a confirming nod to the man responsible for his resurfacing.

Rude's unseen gaze, seemingly pierced through his shade eye-wear, and as he spoke, his voice glinted with his trademark stability, ''It's time to go.''

With another silent nod, the red head began the short, let endlessly lingering journey to the helicopter, which for once, he wouldn't be flying, and before he could even adapt to the, air storm force, of the twirling propellers, Reno found himself within the air-craft, and once again within his own barricades of personal solitude.

* * *

Reno gave the smallest groan of annoyance as he wrestled with the hard, plastic like material which coated the back seats of the air-craft.

_With all the money Shin-Ra has, you'd think they'd try and build these things to some level of comfortability..._

He gave another fruitless wriggle before allowing his tired, bothersome limbs to slump down upon the seat's surface, which reminded him of being at school for some reason, the many unwanted, unneeded lessons he had been forced to endure upon awkwardly stiff, mass produced and synthetically bobble ridden chairs, somewhat likeable to his current predicament.

They'd been in flight for thirty minutes now, and already the red head was beginning to grow restless, especially after being informed by Rude, that they would, in fact, be travelling for at least another five hours, and even then they'd only be stopping for a few hours over-night at a half way point, from which they would then be departing from at approximately the third hour after midnight, and then be proceeding to travel, by foot, to the mission's location that neither, as of yet, had been made aware of.

There was no denying that the idea of being stuck in the back of a helicopter for hours with no entertainment or comfortable seating, sleeping at some random outpost, which again, no doubt wouldn't be the most cosy of places, and then walking to some remote and probably either extremely dangerous or incredibly barren location, was not exactly what the red head would describe as 'agreeable'.

Though, of course he was not about to complain, and it wasn't as if he hadn't endured previous missions with similar requirements before, but the protective barrier around the whole thing made him feel more than a tad uneasy, and as each second ticked by, he grew more and more unsure of whether he actually wanted to know where they were going, or anything about the mission at all, for that matter.

The way the passenger seating had been designed, resulted with both Reno and his perfectly bald partner facing one another, their only views being either each other's forms or the blank, dull grey metallic materiel of the air-craft's interior wall.

The red head's mouth gave a slightly numbed pang, as his jaw seemingly began to ache in some sort of retaliation at being clenched so tightly in its currently closed state.

True, he hadn't uttered a word since the journey's beginning, through both lack of willingly conversational company, and during those starting moments, even he hadn't been in the mood for talking, but now, with the muted whipping coming from the propellers above, and the reverberations rippling from the floor below, it seemed like the perfect time to start with the yapping.

He took one swift glance at the boringly ordered pilots, before turning his aquamarine gaze back the view opposite, quickly observing his still, motionless partner, whose shades made it almost impossible to tell whether or not he was actually even awake.

_Hm...Maybe Rude will be up for some conversation..._

The young Turk shot a small sort of half wave at his partner, as if to check he was still in the conscious reality of the alert, to which he did indeed receive a response, in the form of a slight swift in shoulder movements.

He paused hesitantly before speaking, ''So Rude...what you doing?''

Reno cringed immediately, and only continued to do so when he viewed the look upon his partner's face, the bald clearly mystified as to why he'd been asked such a stupid question.

_Ok, maybe not..._

The red head gave a short chuckle of embarrassment, and ran five distractingly nervous fingers through the spiky top portion of his flame red locks, before turning away, so quickly it was almost comic.

After the passing of a few more minutes, a definitively weary sigh escaped from the young Turk's lips, like a silent wisp, and soon he found himself allowing his upper half to splay itself across the seat's surface, whilst his legs propped themselves up upon a neighbouring edge, which was placed at the perfect distance, for him to lay, in some sense, comfortably.

As he stared up at the new view, which was equally as dulling as the previous had been, Reno began to feel his lids grow ever so slightly heavy as their resistance to close became weakened, and although he wasn't about to allow sleep to claim him, he did let himself become immersed in a strange state of complete, controlled calm, the kind where you can choose what you dream.

_The young brunette scowled at the red headed Turk leaning against her newly polished bar top, a sickeningly charming smile playing across his ever so roguish features. _

_''What do I have to do to impress you Tifa?''_

_She cocked an eyebrow in unimpressed amusement and drew herself ever so slightly closer to the young male, who was eyeing her with daring anticipation, ''How about...go a day without drinking and looking up other females skirts?'' Her voice had been lined with anything but friendly play, and Reno was unable to hide the flash of disappointment within his aquamarine eyes, though of course this was quickly brushed away with his tone of response, which was one of mock contemplation. _

_''Hm...That's a pretty big ask...'' A beautifully mischievous smile graced his thin, pale lips as he proceeded to eye the young bartender's form, before allowing his gaze to fall upon her chest, ''Can I look down other females **tops**?''_

_Tifa quickly folded her arms, in some sort of vain attempt at keeping her dignity, whilst her eyebrows contorted, her expression heavy with unamused annoyance, 'No.''_

_''Jealous?'' The red head flashed a small smirk before taking a swill of the burning amber liquid left within his tumbler._

_The young bartender leant in closer as she spoke, a mock expression of adoration playing upon her lips as she spoke, though the words and her tone didn't match up, as though the purring whisper in which she spoke was to counterbalance the rather harsh truth, ''No...just disgusted.'' _

_Obviously not picking up on her meaning, Reno eyed her once again, though this time as if studying her with consideration, ''I can look up your skirt if you'd like? Or down you top, either way, I'm happy to do it, if it'll make you feel better.''_

_Before he could drain the remnants from the glass object grasped within his slender fingers, he caught sight of a pale, yet rather painful looking fist coming towards him, on a perfectly aligned path to collide with his smooth jaw._

The red head's eyes drew open in one swift motion, whilst his stomach gave a throbbing, forceful lurch, as a brief occurrence of air turbulence caused the helicopter to give a sudden jerk.

* * *

The outpost building wasn't quite as bad as he had expected, though that being said, it that wasn't exactly brilliant either; its aesthetic appearance was somewhat dull and although it didn't look old, or worn down, it did look as though it had been made by Chobocos on Crack, and that was a most unsettling thought, but apart from the lack of skill that had gone into its construction, the interior did have all the basic necessities, a couple of beds, a workable kitchen area, and most unbelievably, an en suite, which was a white, pristine palace compared to the rest of the building.

He wasn't sure whether it was actually owned by Shin-Ra or had just been 'evacuated' of its previous residents by the company, for their own 'personal' use, but either way, it would be his last moderately home-like stop before he would have to start roughing it, on a mission which he'd been informed could take weeks, if not months to complete.

With that thought in mind, the red head decided to make the most of his short stay there and before his bald partner could even air any such bid for it, Reno had dashed past him and into the shower room, his form's action merely a flash of red against the otherwise cream coloured wall, and before long, his scarred, stiff body was getting coated in silky, reflective trails of clear, soft water, which cascaded like a miniaturised waterfall, the piece of bathing equipment seemingly hovering above at the perfect height, and whilst the lukewarm water dripped over his closed features, the young Turk, once again, allowed his mind to wander back.

_''Reno...what is this? I'm not sure I should be allowing a Turk to blindfold me...''_

_''Oh stop ya' moaning...we're nearly there...ok...just a little further...'' _

_The red head had his palms held tightly across his young, female friend's crimson-tinted eyes in an attempt to block out all lightened view as he directed her across the room and through the open door, which led into her kitchen._

_''Ta da!'' Reno revealed his labourings to her in one quick motion, though it took the brunette's eyes a few seconds to adjust with the brightness radiating from the room's working bulbs, though when her vision finally did return, her previously clamped eyes widened in a shocked befuddlement, whilst her mouth gaped ever so slightly, words seemingly unable to be created quite yet. _

_He took the dazed silence as his cue to explain, and did so with a grin of child-like pride, and a tone which was evidently heightened in excitement, ''Well, the other day, I was thinking about how you're always slaving away in that bar of yours, and you never really get anything in return, so I thought that you deserved a treat...thus, dinner! Cooked by yours truly!''_

_She flashed him a nervous, but not uncomfortable smile of gratitude, before edging closer to one of the plates, and proceeding to seemingly subjugate the food-stuff placed upon it, to a number of unknown tests, involving various sniffs and a variety of pokes. _

_Reno's brow furrowed in confusion, ''What are you doing?''_

_''Nothing...''_

_He cocked an eyebrow at her, clearly displaying to the young brunette his unsatifaction at her quite plainly, untruthful answer._

_She gave him a quick glance before returning to her observations, ''I was just checking...''_

_''Checking what?''_

_''You know...that it was safe...''_

_The red head's face flared up with an undoubted expression of insulted outrage, ''Safe...safe! Of course it's safe!''_

_A soft, pinkish hue played across the young woman's otherwise pale cheeks, ''I just...don't want to get food poisoning...that's all...''_

_''That's all...'' His repeat had been spoken in a tone of exasperated disappointment, likeable to a parent who has asked their son to explain why all his sister's dolls have been found underneath his bed, completely bald and missing several plastic limbs, and in return received some pitiful excuse, like 'Sephiroth made me do it!'._

_''Oh Reno...'' Tifa's lips parted in a sad sort of smile, clearly feeling guilty over her rather insensitive actions, ''I'm sorry...this was really nice of you...'' _

_The brunette sighed and took a few, quick steps towards him, proceeding to wrap her arms around his waist, so her hands clasped together against his suited back, ''Thank you.''_

_If she had been in a position to view the young Turk's face, she would have been no doubt surprised at the glinting flecks of pure joy, which glowed within his aquamarine eyes like tiny fireflies. _

_Though of course a moment like this could only last so long, especially with Reno around, and before she could even register what was happening, the young brunette found the entire left side of her face being hit by a lump of smooth mashed potato. _

_As her crimson-tinted gaze shot up to meet the red head's, she found him to be smirking innocently, yet with underlying hints of his trademark cheekiness, and when he spoke, he had to fight hard to hold back the series of giggles that were desperately bubbling within his throat, ''See... it's perfectly safe...''_

_A few moments of silence pasted as Tifa glared at him with unforgiving eyes, though it vanished as quickly as the starchy food-stuff had come into contact with her face, and soon she was backing away towards the table, hand outstretched towards her own plate, and a mischievous smirk that could rival even Yuffie's best..._

The young Turk's backtrack was interrupted by a slow, steady knock upon the room's thin, pale door, proceeded by the deep tone of his bald partner, his voice seeping through the wooden frame like rain upon soil, ''Reno, I'm going to get some food...did you want anything?''

He only hesitated for a the briefest of seconds, before calling back, ''Yeah sure, just get me whatever you're having...''

Reno was quick in finishing up and soon he was re-dressed, now feeling much fresher and brighter, his previous aches, having been seemingly washed away, leaving behind just a rejuvenated sense of serenity.

As the young Turk leant back upon one of the single, slightly to soft mattresses, which lay upon the wooden framed bed, he allowed his finger to tap gently upon the surface of his upheld, currently bent knee, whilst his other hand lay upon his lap, holding the small communication device within his five slender fingers.

After spending a couple minutes musing, he lifted the mobile screen into view and proceeded to scroll down the contact list, the small bar soon highlighting the wanted number, which he wasted no time in dialling, the muted tone somewhat comforting in the barren atmosphere.

The ringing seemed to last for an unmoving eternity, and although when it did finally stop, he was indeed graced with her voice, it wasn't exactly what he'd been hoping for.

_''Hello, this is Tifa Lockhart, I'm currently out at the-''_

He pressed down upon the mobile's small red button and swiftly pulled the receiver back to its previous position, neither wanting or needing to hear the rest of her answer-phone message.

The thought of leaving one for her wasn't an option, not really anyway, what would he say? He couldn't exactly mention the mission, both out of secrecy and her undesirable hatred for the whole thing, though he could, of course, just tell her he was sorry, plead with her, beg with the answering machine to be given another chance to prove to her that she could trust him.

Reno glanced back at the mobile still held within his hand,_ She'd probably just delete it anyway..._

Quickly putting the device atop the cabin beside him, the young Turk curled slightly to one side and allowed his lids to drop completely, in the hope that sleep would block out the sense of isolation and regret, which was burning through his veins like some uncontrollable disease .

_

* * *

_

_''Tifa...?'' His voiced echoed around the space with such soft delicacy it was almost like a bird in __flight, though his tone had seemed somewhat less so in it's confused desperation._

_The image laid out in front of him, so similar in its context to something he had seen once before, yet also utterly different __in its __arena._

_Both he and the young woman were seemingly stood within one of the larger laboratories of Shin-Ra HQ, either one placed on opposite sides of the room, and although the distance didn't look overly long, it seemed to the red head as though they were miles apart. _

_The young brunette seemed to tremble ever so slightly as a chill brushed over the room from an unknown source, and as the two locked gaze with one another, she managed to choke out a few harshened words, ''Reno...how could you...''_

_His face began to numb, as he shook his head in confusion, ''What do you mean...what have I done?''_

_Tifa's eyes narrowed slightly as a few tears overspilled and trickled down untouched cheeks, whilst her crimson-tinted Irises flared with an previously subdued anger, ''You allowed...you allowed this to...'' _

_She stopped as a sharp gasp of pain escaped past her wavering lips, and only then did Reno notice the two, firm hands clasped around the brunette's slender neck, the pressure against her throat becoming tighter and tighter...and the shadowy, featureless red head whom stood behind her seemed growingly intend on continuing._

_''TIFA!''_

_Reno bolted straight across the room, crashing into lab tables and stools alike, and as he grew closer and closer to the two distant forms, he lifted a glass container and smashed it, purposely taking one of the glinting shards in his hand._

_He was only metres away when a deep, somewhat familiar voice echoed behind him, ''Reno! Stop!'' _

_Out of nowhere a strong, firm hand clamped down upon his shoulder, forcing him to an unwanted stop, and in confused anger, Reno spun around within his unknown assailant's hold, and with one definitive thrust, he plunged the large, broken splinter of glass through the form's thin clothing and into soft, breakable flesh. _

The young Turk shot up from the dampened mattress, and found himself staring into a pair of familiar shades, whose surrounding facial muscles seemed to be shaking unnaturally, and before he could even attempt any kind of movement or speech, Reno's mind drew his focus down to the sharp, grasping pain within his left hand, and the warm, wet, darkened liquid that trailed from his fingers, and down the skin of his elbow, where it seemingly pooled, eventually falling in droplets upon the dry, worn material of his combats.

* * *

A/N= Sorry for the wait peeps, I've been held up with various things that needed doing, and when ever I've been writing I keep getting distracted...I swear my concentration level is pretty much non-existent...But anyway, on to the chapter...

I know this is quite a heavy, serious chapter, much like the previous one actually... but don't worry I am still keeping Reno humorous, just he's not feeling so funny at the moment XD Plus I'm trying to make him ever so slightly more mature, and elaborate on him as a character, after all he isn't all happy smiles and cheekiness (-However much I'd love him to be ;)-)

But don't worry, the next chapter will be lighter (not overly so, but enough)!


	7. Ch7: Bandaged Conversations

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Seven...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Seven: Bandaged Conversations**

The red head swiftly unfurled the thickened piece of textured white material within his fingers, allowing its previously tightly wound coils to roll freely down and over his trembling skin. His body seemed to be coping well under the sudden, rather pressured stress, though it didn't seem able to withhold the series of quick, twitchy movements or the rash of prickly goose pimples which had spread like an ice cold wave of fear and uncertainty upon his form.

He slowly reached up five of his slender fingers to the inter side of his fellow Turk's left arm, and curled the tips of them around the now, rather darkened stained cloth, which was seemingly held in place by in invisible vacuum force, in between his arm and the side of his ribbed chest, and carefully began to peel it back, revealing the full extent of the damage caused upon his oh so silent friend, by his own, subconscious command.

It wasn't a pretty sight to say the least, the area surrounding it was both reddened by soreness and the overspill of burning bloody fluid, causing it to irritate and inflame the once calmly comfortable skin, whilst the slice of torn flesh looked itself, as if it was in pain, the opening, contracting and tensing, in angry response to the sudden release from its covered prison, to the attacking barrage of effecting oxygen which was forcibly intent on drying out the wound, while the wound itself seemed only intent on letting more blood break out from under the ripped tatters of skin which were trying with an almost unbearable desperation to hold on to their once perfect stronghold.

As his aquamarine eyes began to study the torn infliction, he was forced to narrow them into a sort of squint, for the dim lighting which hovered weakly above him seemed somewhat inadequate towards his needs, though it could not be helped, as the kitchen itself was barely usable to modern day standards, with its run down floor, and peeling wallpaper, not to mention the lack of space, though one thing he was thankful for was its cleanliness, which before now, had never seemed that important to him, but with to sudden and unexpected presence of such an infection drawing wound, well...it seemed like an all to essential requirement.

The small red box lay opened up upon the table on which the red head was leaning, in an attempt to position himself closer to his friend, its contents somewhat scattered, though yet with a strange sort of organised chaos, across the wooden, unpolished surface. The discovery of such a traditional, yet perfectly suitable first aid box had both quite surprised, and greatly relieved the young Turk, yet it had received no such response from its intended receipt, whose concentrated breathing had seemed the only thing he was able to focus upon, as though he needed to use every last smidgen of personal will powered energy to stop from crying out in pain at every slight, though necessary movement.

It was because of this noticeable restrain, that Reno took extra care when beginning the process of cleaning and redressing the obviously pain inducing damaged section of ripped flesh and torn skin, though the moment he allowed the sterilising liquid which coated the dampened material to make the slightest brush of contact with the raw surface, a rumbling groaned edged its way reluctantly from the wounded Turk's lips, making the red head's concentration levels heightened immediately, as he continued with his wrappings, in a somewhat desperate attempt to not cause any more unwanted pain upon his friend, and as he padded and worked his way around the slowly stemming flow he received various tense, gasping flinches, causing his brow to furrow deeper in an overwhelming flood of guilty unease.

* * * Flashback * * *

The young Turk's face drained of all heated colour, shading it an unhealthy white, as his once bright, aquamarine eyes, dulled and widened in a slow, fearful realisation, the lingering apprehension and unwillingness to accept what he already knew somewhere to be the damning truth, etched across the contours of his face, clinging on desperately in some sort of naïve attempt to make the problem which worsened with every passing moment, disappear from existence.

His entire form seemed to have been paralysed in shock, the frozen nerve waves inching their way through his insides almost painfully, forcing him to be still, with his very heart seemingly unable to beat for lack of desire to be heard, and yet his mind was consumed with silent screams of urgency, pleading with him to use the smallest upon of will to lower his gaze and come back to accept the reality.

A spluttering gasp escaped into the room, and sounded around the red head, airing the sparking distress of its owner's, whom seemed still rather too stunned from the unexpected impact to actually form any sort of worded communication, though luckily for him, he didn't need to, as the sound he had managed seemed to be enough to bring the young Turk around, and back around to the plight at hand, which longed desperately for his unfaltering attention.

Reno's previously parted lips drew softly together, bracing as if bracing themselves, as he finally lowered his gaze, and although his face flashed with more than a hint of unwanted avoidance, he finally allowed the pupils surrounded by rings of aquamarine to focus upon the thing joining him and his fellow Turk together in one of the most shattering of ways.

His body gave a sort of collapsed tremble as he studied the image between them; five of the red head's slender fingers were wrapped, far too tight to be bearable, around a rather thick, jagged shard of clear, reflective glass, its razor sharp edges cutting into his own palm with a strange sort of ice blade pain, as though the nerves within his hand were attempting to mute it somewhat, but his own permissible infliction was the least of his worries, as his gaze moved along the glassy surface, towards the body attached to it.

''Shit...'' His voice was no more that a hushed wisp, his speaking abilities also seemed to have evaporated at this point, as the vision of red, glistening flesh took over him completely.

The makeshift dagger's supposedly pointed end, could no longer be seen, as a large amount of its dangerous peak, lay embedded within his co-worker's side, though the veils of dark crimson which covered the area with a spreading control, made it near impossible for the young Turk to tell whether the piece of glass had pierced the male's chest, arm, lung, or all three.

He wasn't even sure of the deepness, or lethality of the wound he had unconsciously created, after all, he had know honest recollection of receiving the shard, or even seeing it before this moment, and even the action of accidental violence had gone unwitnessed by his own eyes, as they had been in the process of their own sharp awakening, and as he searched his victims shaded eyes, and facial stillness, he was fairly certain he neither had been aware enough to realise the shard was even there, before it stuck, leaving him unable to observe its entrance.

In an almost impulsive suddenness, the young Turk sprang into action, allowing both his mind and body to change settings from his own, real, confused distress, onto 'Turk autopilot', and with the beads of cold, prickly, fear produced nightmare sweat still present upon his brow, Reno pressed a gentle, yet firm hand around the wounded area, holding the skin taught, and in one swift motion, pulled the shard out from inside his friend.

As the rip became free from the masking plug of thick glass, fast trickles of dark, crimson blood flowed down, through the red head's fingers, and over the wounded Turk's shirt, causing it to spread within the material like dye, and soon it had made a surface pool upon the cotton sheets below.

Reno threw the sharpened item to the floor with a delightful breaking clatter and let out a muffled grunt, his own hand now also reacting at its sudden freedom, as a rush of headed liquid swam between the bloody lacerations.

He quickly grabbed the worn pillow from behind him, ripping at its fraying cover with a determined control, which allowed a large fold of material to be torn away completely, the buckle of broken threads causing a strangely satisfying sound, and soon he had forced the absorbent piece upon the slowly draining wound with a closing pressure.

After he was secure in the knowledge that, for now at least, the bleeding had been halted, the red head wrapped his arm around his co-worker's waist, and gently hoisted him up, before proceeding to walk him from the room and rather awkwardly down the rickety, splintering stairs, though if someone had been viewing the played out action, they no doubt would have believing that Reno was doing quite well under the circumstances, after all, Rude was both tall, and well build, both factors adding up to him being rather weighty.

It wasn't long after the pair had reached the ground floor, that they had managed to successfully hobble across the entrance to the kitchen, and soon after the young Turk had positioned his friend carefully upon one of the peeling chairs, before grabbing a nearby drying up towel and proceeding to run over the the tap, allowing the sputters of water to seep into the materials fibrous structure.

As soon as he was satisfied with the amount of water consumed, the red head bolted back over to the bleeding Turk, quickly replacing the makeshift bandage with a new, dripping piece of kitchenware, and whilst it seemed to bring a cooling sensation, it also helped to wash away a large quantity of the lost crimson fluid, allowing for the first time for Reno to study and diagnose the seriousness of the inflicted wound.

After a few moments, the young Turk came to a stable conclusion that, although bad, it was definitely not fatal, though the realisation only brought the slightest twinge of relieved comfort to him, and as he left his friend with the pressured material held against him to search the cupboards for some kind of basic first aid kit, Reno let out a silent, trembling sigh, the present happenings finally overwhelming his autopilot, and once again forcing him back to face the guilty confusion which was rampaging within his mind.

* * * End Flashback * * *

The young Turk gave the twisted bandage one final tug as he pulled it to the maximum tautness, being both firmly stable and comfortably unpressurised, so as not to allow any more blood to leak, but so rather stemming the flow completely.

As he leaned back, Reno gazed down at his handy-work, though not with pride, but rather with an almost frozen, mesmerism, his aquamarine eyes still, yet flashing wildly, with a painful mix of apologetic embarrassment, angered shame, and a growing degree of fear apprehension, with the realisation of what he had done.

In an almost desperate attempt to remain within the realms self-sanity, the red head quickly rose from his seated position, and darted across the room, leaving echoing taps upon the flooring's tiles reverberating softly about the room, and as he arrived at the sink, Reno soon turned the loosened knobs, allowing the release of clear, prickly cold water to flow down in dribbles upon the metallic basin, before thrusting his own palms between.

A small, half smile of calm played upon the corners of the young Turk's thin lips, as he enjoyed the numbing consequences of the icy droplets, whilst his blood stained palms cleared, as the crimson thinned liquid began to dissipate, falling away as it dropped to the bottom of the sink, not mixing but almost separating the free water apart, creating it's own line of flow.

His head turned, though not completely, towards Rude, proceeding to give a nervous cough, before speaking, in a tone of rather fake calm, as though play acting, ''Did you want some water or something?''

Although he did not respond with any sounding words, the red head could see him shake his head with the outermost corners of his aquamarine eyes. He was about to turn away when he saw his fellow Turk give a sudden tinge, whilst his face tightened in pain, and as his body tensed, with Reno almost able to feel the sharp intake of paining breath.

He looked away quickly, completely unable to meet the bald Turk's shaded glare, and then, almost subconsciously, and through a remaining silence, his own hand slammed down upon the sink's soft, metallic edge, forcing his inflamed palm to rage with a roughened burning, and with the skin's upper layer having seemingly been torn by his tight grip upon the shard of glass, his under layer was subject to easy opening, and with his rather self-directed outburst, he had allowed the blood to once again surface, and break upon his palm, leaving it to flow like map seen rivers between the skin's tiny crevices.

''Reno.'' The red head turned to view his friend, whom for the first him since his infliction had been caused, had chosen to offer some sort of spoken commutation with him, and although his shades remained on, Reno could still somewhat imagine the concerned look which had been growing behind them.

The young Turk's brow furrowed, as he began to approach his co-worker, ''What...I mean...how did it happen?''

Rude didn't seem at all surprised by his question, and with the knowingly light chuckle which proceeded, he in fact seemed to have been somewhat expecting it, ''I came up because I heard the sound of glass shattering...I thought you might have been in trouble...when I came in...you'd hit out in your sleep, smashed the tumbler beside you...your body...well...you where thrashing about on the bed quite violently...'' He stopped now, and looked at Reno with a questioning sort of interest,''Nightmare?''

The red head nodded slowly, whilst letting out a sigh of tired dismay, as his friend continued, ''Well, then I sat down, I couldn't see the shard in your hand...I tried to wake you up and...'' a small smile crept upon his lips, as both shock and amusement blended together, ''Well you know the rest...''

A lingering silence fell between them, before once again Rude chose to fill it, ''How are your hands?''

''What?'' Reno's eyebrow lifted out of dazed disbelief, both touched and ashamed at his co-workers degree of concern for his tiny wound, when his own was so much greater, ''Oh, they're fine- but that's not important, I stabbed you for Gaia's sake! Isn't that registering with you at all?''

''I had noticed it yes.'' Rude smiled again, both easing the younger Turk's nervous dismay, and heightening it, all in one swift motion, ''It's ok Reno...''

''Hm...I don't see how-''

''Don't worry about it...all your embarrassed twitching is much more painful to endure than any flesh wound.''

A smirk tugged at Reno's own lips, though it soon relaxed as quickly as it has attempted to appear, ''Still...I'm sorry.''

The wounded Turk gave a silent shrug, making sure it was light enough, so as not to cause further ripping towards his already painful damage, ''It's my fault...I should have been more observant...or just left you to it.''

An appreciative expression soon graced the coutures of the red head's face, ''Well...I'm glad you didn't.''

Rude raised a eyebrow, both hinting at concern and interest, ''Scary monsters?''

''...Something like that.'' The younger Turk seemed to tense up, as his gaze shifted uncomfortably to the floor, ''I should warn you, this isn't the first time I've had this kind of nightmare...'' An unseen eyebrow twigged slightly upon his co-worker's face, ''And with us going on this mission together...It might happen again and-''

He was cut off by a voice filled with a mix of curious confusion. ''Are you saying I should be frightened of you?''

It was Reno's turn to raise a single side of his brow, ''Just when I'm asleep.''

Their conversation seemed to come to a sort of halt, as a tense, yet not uncomfortable pause began to proceed, though once again that evening, it was the wounded Turk whom seemed most happy to fill it, as his own quiet fascination got a better hold upon him,''These dreams...I don't suppose they have anything to do with Tifa?''

A low chuckle rumbled within the back of Reno's slightly dried throat, ''Am I that obvious.''

''Well, I couldn't imagine you getting so shaken up by anything else.''

Another, less hesitant expression of amusement sounded, though it ceased almost with a blunt suddenness as the red head's body tensed, ''I think...I think something may be happening to me.''

''Like what?''

''I don't know...I just keep getting these images...they're so vivid...it's like they're real...playing out like a piece of theatre inside my mind, and-''

He was stopped mid sentence by a rightly assuming Rude, ''You're starting to wonder if the things in your dreams will manifest into your reality?'' The younger Turk nodded slowly, which received an almost sigh of tired desperation from his co-worker, ''They're dreams Reno...''

''But...I stabbed you.''

Rude sighed again, though this time he did nothing to hide his frustration, ''I thought we'd already covered that subject?''

''In my dream I mean...not the one I had tonight but...before the ball...'I didn't see it happen but...you were there and...'' Reno's voice trailed off, as though he couldn't bring himself to say it.

The bald Turk looked on, more than a little unconvinced, though his interest seemed to have perked up a bit with his added inquiry, ''Coincidence?...It wasn't under the same circumstance right?''

''No, it was with a knife, and...it looked a tad bit more fatal..''

''Well then...like I said, coincidence.''

They sat in silence for a short while, before Reno slowly allowed himself to lean back against the kitchen surface, and soon locking his own aquamarine gaze, with Rude's own hidden one, ''Are we bad?...Because we choose to be Turks?'' The question had come out a little more distracted that he had intended, making it seem more rhetorical, though luckily for him, his co-worker understood his intended delivery.

''It's not the job title that deciphers that Reno...it's the person.''

The red head's brow furrowed in a curious sort of baffled wonderment, ''How do you mean?''

''We killed people for money Reno, we went into peoples homes, and took what was needed, we spied on them...their lives, invaded their privacy, we worked for a company that, for better or worse, used the planet for its own personal gain, and we did it all without thought, or conscience... we didn't care.''

Reno's brow dropped even further, ''This isn't really helping Rude...''

The bald Turk held up a hand to quell his unimpressed co-worker, ''But now...we've been trying to save the planet, save lives...though the question is...are we only doing this because they asked us to? Or is it because we want to...and if they commanded it of us...would we do it all again? Kill like we did...live like we did?

''Rude...'' The younger Turk had edged closer to his friend now, with an almost apprehensive glint flashing within his narrowing gaze, ''...What's going on?''

''I just want you to be certain of what you want...and who you really are.''

A slight smirk played across Reno's face now, displaying a somewhat missed trademark, which had been lost since the mission's starting moments, ''Are you getting mushy on me?''

''No...but it's just that...there are things going on in Shin-Ra...I don't know exactly but...things are getting complicated...I think there might be a few less..._desirable..._intentions activating within the company...''

The red head had his gaze fixed upon Rude, whom had looked as serious and as steady as ever throughout his quiet reveal, and as he spoke, his own tone and demeanour seemed to match with his co-worker's, as though it was catching, and yet it still retained a sparking type of charming quality which only Reno could create, ''Our job...what we do, who we work for...it's never going to be simple is it?''

''Doesn't seem likely...''

* * *

Only a few measly hours were allowed to pass before the two Turks once again, found themselves having to set off upon the mission, whose seemingly never-ending journey only increased the build up of apprehensive tension around its still unknown subject intentions, not to mention the fact that, by this time, both he and Rude were physically and mentally exhausted, and now unable to rest any longer, with their clothes dirtied and bloodied before they'd even been allowed to begin their dangerous trek.

The wind seemed somewhat non-existent, and yet, as Reno stood leaning against the house's outside wall, his clothes still gently ruffled upon his skin with a refreshing chill, whilst the hard blood-dried patches which had unforgivingly appeared as a constant reminder, hit with a completely different feel, the rough, flaky texture complementing the soft cotton folds with an almost unexpected, flawless delicacy.

Both of the young men had seemingly spent the last dregs of their time within the darkened, slightly cracked, musty kitchen talking with one another; it was actually the most in terms of vocal response the red head had ever managed to get out of Rude, and while it was unusual, and somewhat surreal, it was also strangely comforting; to know his friend did pay attention to him, that he had views, and to knew, although he was somewhat reserved and imposing, he was indeed human.

Most of the chosen topics had strayed upon meaningless, and forgettable words, though some parts were certain to stick with Reno, parts he actually wished he didn't remember; the possibility of another change, another trick within Shin-Ra was rather unnerving, though not unsurprising, and although a few years previous the young Turk wouldn't have cared so much as a chocobo's arse about the concept, the idea now seemed somewhat more uneasy, because now there was something to lose.

Reno sighed lightly as he stepped forwards upon the gravelled pavement, which surrounded the house, but seemingly ceased to exist beyond a few metres, and crunched beneath his boots, whilst simultaneously scratching at his soles, yet leaving no damage.

His aquamarine eyes scanned over the horizon, as the grey, pale half night, half morning light crept across the land, which seemed to be inhabited to the blink by every type of life besides human, as though somehow barren to it, and after only moments of his observations, the young Turk suddenly felt rather cut off, and rather alone, with Rude's lone presence seemingly adding only the smallest of comforts.

A haunting string of bird calls echoed around the air, as the feathered creatures, presumably upon seeing the first glimpse of awaking light, began their routines which Reno had thought of as ridiculously planned, and yet still somewhat spontaneous, and along with the strange rustles of brushing leaves, waving grass and his own quiet breaths, the whole thing seemed idyllically peaceful.

It was within that perfectly still moment, that the red head decided; as soon as the hour was bearable and the mooring light bright enough to fool his mind into believing it should be somewhat alert, he would try and contact her again, and again...and again, until he heard her real, unrecorded voice, his need for her now larger than ever; he wanted to tell her every, and yet nothing, but it was the contact that he wanted most of all, to hear her, as some sort of reassurance that she was indeed real, their parting, along with the seclusion seemingly making his and Tifa's time together both feel and appear within him as a rather more than surreal dream.

A gentle crunching rumble sounded from behind the red head as Rude came out and joined him, in his silent, oh so steady way, his injury seemingly not important enough to be allowed even one more groan of pain, and before Reno could even registrar the movement within his legs, the pair had set off; the house soon becoming nothing more than a distant speck of memory, and the invisible path upon which they walked had begun to ascend with a steep tilt. It was only when the young Turk's gaze came to observe an all to seemingly familiar wooded area up ahead, and the higher, snow dusted mountain regions beyond, that his skin seemed to pickle with yet another sort of apprehension, though this time he truly believed his instincts to be correct.

* * *

A/N= Sorry for the lateness...if it's any consolation I've literally been tittering on the edge of mental exhaustion for the last four hours...(it's been a busy day)...if there are any spelling mistakes they were probably due to my half asleep form being slumped upon the keyboard...sorry about that and I hope you cane forgive me :)

I really wanted to get some development into this chapter between Reno and Rude, seeing as they are the only ones actually present and all...it seemed they should have a 'scene' together as such...


	8. Ch8: Thoughts for the Travellers

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Eight...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Eight: Thoughts for the Travellers**

The aroma of pine and heated dirt hung thick within the already muggy air, the process set into motion almost immediately with the sun's first rays. Both the sudden rise in temperature and surrounding atmosphere had somewhat surprised the young Turk, though not as much as the change environment once they had entered the approaching density of trees.

For some reason he'd expected the woodland to be rotted, hollow-like, and in a sense...to seem older, but in actual fact, it had been quite the opposite, in both visually and mentally. It was somewhat likeable to being inside a tropical jungle, though without the monkey howls and swarming insects.

Various vines, and leaf weighted branches entwined with one enough, creating random designs like spider webs, locking their owner's bark coated trunks together, whilst their higher appendages criss crossed over, producing a make-shift canopy, both blocking and constructing patches of brightened pale light upon the grass-absent ground, whose soil lowered gently under foot, the red head's bodily pressure enough to break the melted surface, though never enough to force him to sink uncomfortably.

A silent groan escaped though his softly parted lips, whom had been locked in their current position for quite some time for the purpose of allowing the heavily filled air to enter his steam appropriately, though now that need seemed to drift away as his sense's focused upon the residing pounding within his skull.

The ache had began to form after only the first few minutes of walking, but had grown considerably since its arrival. Reno had put it down to a number of things; lack of sleep, lack of food, lack of comfortable environment and of course lack of mental peace, though in hindsight his partner must have been suffering a great deal more, for he had 'lack of blood' to add to the list.

Although his head was directed more towards the unmarked path ahead, he did managed to shift his gaze, thus allowing his aquamarine eyes to fall upon the larger form to his left, whom walked that little bit further in front, though not so much to be noticeable.

The red head eyed him with a masked curiosity for a few moments, before emitting a audible cough, which he knew would signal his desire to speak, albeit it nervously, ''So...where are we heading?''

''Up.'' The bald Turk didn't even turn his head, his gaze also fixed upon the approaching area until it was passed and replaced.

The red head rolled his eyes, though he knew the expression could neither be seen nor heard, ''Up...'' he gave a dissatisfied huff, whilst giving a heavy swing of his arms, ''Right.''

Rude was not oblivious to the gesture, and quickly responded to the unasked question, ''They sent me the coordinates for our next stop.'' He made a point to turn his covered sight towards his fellow Turk, ''That's it.''

The red head's brow furrowed, as he nodded, watching his partner's gaze revert back to its original point, before allowing his own to return.

Sure had hadn't expected much information, after all, what good had his questions done last time, but still, the fact the company were only giving them directions on a point to point basis was a little off putting, as if they either didn't trust them, or knew that if the path was given all at once they would refuse to walk it.

Though of course, none of it even mattered, not really, not to him, not yet. His mind had been rather preoccupied of late, and when it was not filled with thoughts concerning his current mission and his work, it was filled with thoughts of her, with memories which, at the time of happening had seemed somewhat futile, though now, they seemed both more precious and more affecting than he could he believed.

_Reno's suited form sauntered across the road with an almost irrepressible confidence, and along with the perfectly unkempt hair, graceful smirk, and the black jacket flung across his shoulder, he made for quite an eye-catcher._

_He had more than one reason to be pleased with himself; for once in a far to longer stretch, the red head had been let out from work earlier than expected, after actually managing to finish his paperwork, though of course he had had some 'help' from Rude, but still, he'd got it done. _

_Not only did he have freedom from the office, but it also just happened to be one of the best days of the year, weather wise that is, and he sure as hell didn't want to waste it inside Shin-Ra HQ. _

_No sir. _

_Instead of course he'd chosen to waste it in Seventh Heaven._

_His smirk melted away into a warming smile as he pushed upon the beautifully glossy wooden door, which also seemed slightly heated, through its exposure to the sun's rays, though as he took a step inside his facial expression blanked to one of disappointment._

_She was there of course, his-the brunette bartender, but she wasn't the only familiar female. Sitting, sprawled across two stools, with an unmistakable air of self inflated importance and child-like energy, was the petite form of little Miss. Royal, Pain-in-the-Ass Ninja herself, Yuffie Kisaragi._

_Tifa hadn't even noticed the red head's entrance, as her attention was completely focused upon the young girl in front of her, whom was flashing her friend the biggest puppy-eyes she could create, ''You're not old enough Yuffie...''_

_The ninja's cheeks puffed out in anger, ''Yes I am!'' _

_She rolled her eyes dismissively, ''Ok then...you're not...**mature**...enough.''_

_Yuffie's outrage spiralled into dramatic portions, the kind that everyone known to her had come to expect, ''I am soooo mature enough!'' She crossed her arms and pulled herself up straight in an attempt to look as such, ''Just coz I don't have wrinkles, and actually have a little fun I'm suddenly immature?''_

_''No...you're immature because you act like a child...''_

_Her mouth gaped open for a while in supposed shock, though when she found herself at a lose for self-defensive words, she turned tactics, with a smirk playing wide across her youthful face, ''Whatever, but anyway, Reno drinks all the time and I'd hardly call him mature!''_

_It was the that the brunette finally noticed the young Turk, whom was now only about a metre from the pair, and the two shared a knowing smile, whilst the ninja carried on oblivious, her garbling keeping her senses distracted._

_''I mean come on, he's lazy, eats junk food, plays pranks, has a ridiculous hair cut, carries around...what is it...oh yeah, a **cattle prod!**-''_

_Tifa almost allowed a previously suppressed giggle to emerge with a burst like force from her soft pink lips, as the rise in Reno's brow became to much to bear, though luckily for her, the momentary amusement was sounded out by the hard thud which came when the red head forcefully plonked himself down upon the bar stool neighbouring the petite ninja. _

_Although she flinched slightly at his sudden appearance, she didn't appear to feel any embarrassment or fear, clearly not caring about the now obvious fact that he must have over heard her, and she proved this by confidently pointing to the weapon which hung against his hip, whilst sticking out his tiny pink tongue, ''See!''_

_Reno purposely ignored the petite ninja, and instead directed his aquamarine gaze towards the brunette whom was now returning to him, glass tumbler in hand, within which swirled the smooth amber liquid. _

_As she handed him the familiar order, the two shared a somewhat hidden smile, one which lately they'd been using more and more, as they grew more comfortable with one another. As they began to trust. It was nice._

_The red head took a sip, whilst the form next to him flapped about, the ignorance making her more irritated and yet confident by the second, as she decided to carry on with her little endeavour of offence, ''I told you Tifa...he's completely and utterly childish!...Well either that or his brain's turned to mush after getting beaten so often...'' Her brow raised in amusement, her cheeky flashing eyes glancing towards the young Turk, ''After all he's just like that lump of metal he uses; thin, scrawny, ugly, useless-''_

_Without so much as a glint of warning, the young ninja received a rather sharp shock upon her short covered butt, causing her to leap from her stool, giving a high pitched yelp, whilst Reno chuckled to himself as he replaced his EMR, and the brunette looking as though fighting hard to hold back a smirk of pure amusement._

_Yuffie on the other hand was not so entertained, and soon she had sprung back to her feet, body posed in a fighting stance, whilst her eyes quite literally flared, though one hand was still busy massaging the bruised patch through her shorts, ''You wanna fight!''_

_''Not really pipsqueak...''_

_She gave a deep rumbling growl, before launching herself at the red head, her top set of teeth soon latched upon his suited sleeve, busily attempting to gnaw away, though the attacked seemed rather unmoved, proceeding to remove the petite form with a single finger, pushed upon her forehead with a controlled force._

_She glared at him as he repeated his statement calmly, ''I'm not gunna fight you.''_

_Yuffie stopped suddenly, the easy acceptance of defeat rather unsettlingly uncharacteristic, and soon she was smiling sweetly at the red head whom had his uninterested gaze focused upon the tumbler, ''Ok,ok...I guess I better be going then...'' _

_The petite ninja was gone in a flash, whilst the brunette leaned against the bar top, as she sighed with an apologetic knowing, ''Reno...''_

_''What?'' He looked up at her dumbfounded, though as he viewed her crimson-tinted eyes realisation seemed to hit, and as his hand fumbled around the now empty space where his weapon should be his eyes widened._

_''Stupid ninja!'' He spun around and stared at the still flapping door, ''I'M GUNNA KILL YA!'' _

_He turned to grab the jacket he had laid upon his seat, only to find Tifa already handing it to him, with her own form prepared and ready to go._

_His brow furrowed with both confusion and excited interest, ''You coming too?''_

_''Sure...you'll need my help...'' She flash him a warming smile and grabbed his hand, dragging him across the room, and through the door, ''After all, what are friends for?''_

* * *

''We'll take a break here.''

The cold clarity of the statement brought Reno to shift out from his unfocused gaze and bring his line of sight to match with his partner's, to whom he proceeded to simply nod rather than bother using his energy to express anything audible.

The bald Turk acknowledged the wanted silence and allowed his thicken coat to slide from his shoulders as he sat down upon a tree stump which was rather more pronounced that the other's in their vicinity.

Reno was not oblivious to the lowered grunt than he admitted as the garment came off, which soon coupled with a twinge, brought on as the reddened patch upon his skirt seeped through the now worn bandage, whose application had been rather far off in terms of time.

His aquamarine gaze flickered with nervous uncertainty, ''Do...'' He suddenly averted his focus upon his partner altogether and decided to take interest in a small, moisture damped patch of bark just inches from the taller Turk, ''Do you need me to take a look?''

''No, I'll see to it.'' His response was rather abrupt, though he had not a hint of anger within his tone, but rather calm avoidance, ''It's not important.''

A defending silence proceeded to fall around them, though the world continued to turn as audibly as ever. The bald Turk ripped the plastered bandage off in one single motion, though neither cried out in pain or flinched, with Reno left to assume the either he was restraining himself, or the wound in itself was so sore that he had become numb to it.

As Rude attended to the half closed area of skin, he became aware of an unrelenting aquamarine gaze upon him, soon forcing the bald, in an attempt to retain comfortability, to pry the currently restrained words from his fellow Turk, ''Is there something you wanted to say?''

The red head flinched slightly, ''I...'' he took a few seconds to regain the lasting dregs of composure, ''Is it all right if I go and make a quick call?''

He didn't need to say whom to, Rude already knew that, and his tone agreed, with a hinted calm acceptance, ''Do what you must.''

The young Turk faltered for a few moments, before swiftly turning and making his way across to the left of their make-shift resting spot, as his partner added warningly, ''Make sure not to go to far Reno.''

After clearing a good six metres, the red head came to a halt behind one of the larger trees, and rested against its trunk, before taking out the small, mobile communication device and flicking through its contents until he'd located and impressed the wanted number.

The droning ringing pitch echoed, around him as he held the item pressured close to his ear, and as it continued with its repetitive harmony, his mind began to assume that again he would be denied, though his heart gave a heavy thud when the tone altered with a gentle click.

''Tifa! Listen, please don't hang up-'' Instead of being cut of by the more suspected phone, he was met with the sound of a rather all to familiar, and all to indefatigable voice.

''I'm not Tifa dumb ass!'' Reno grimaced slightly at the bellowing tone, though soon recovered and reverted to the original, overwhelming surprise.

''Yuffie!''

''The one and only!'' Her anger had seemingly melted away, and he didn't need her in the room to see her confident ninja pose, which he could practically sense through the lump of metallic plastic within his hand.

''What are you doing? Why are you answering Tifa's phone? Is she ok? Why are you there? Did something happen?''

His frantic questioning was brought to a stand still by the ninja's own raised voice, ''Wooooahh! Calm it Turk boy! Anyway, I have every right to be here! Tifa is my friend you know! And I only answered her phone because she's out getting some more food, seeing as I kinda ate most of hers...plus the ringing sound was really annoying!''

Reno raised a solitary, unseen eyebrow, ''Now you know what it's like for the rest of us when you speak.''

A rather impressive raspberry was blown down the receiver, ''You know, you have some nerve calling her!''

Her comment stopped his self amusement immediately, ''Huh? What do you know about it?''

''Well I know she was pretty pissed off when you left, and whenever your name comes up she calls you a jerk, and then changes the subject...all these would imply you've been a bit of a jackass...though she's not always angry...I mean...she has been crying a lot, really depressed like, but only when she thinks I'm not looking, and-oh dear...''

Her voice trailed off rather suddenly, and Reno knew in an instant that she'd said more than she'd intended, ''You shouldn't be telling me this...'' There was a slight pause in which either spoke, but instead listened to the quiet crackling upon the line, ''You don't know anything really...do you?''

Again he could sense the expression of calm annoyance upon the young ninja's un-seeable face, ''I know you left, when she practically begged you not to.''

The red head sighed and pressed two fingers to his pounding temple, whilst the girl gave a resounded huff, ''You know, you really are an idiot sometimes...''

Although his silent tired smirk could not be seen, it seemed to seep into his tone, ''I guess so.''

''Don't you get it? Gawd you're dense...'' She inhaled deeply in preparation for her rant, ''...remember chocobo head? Remember when he disappeared? Vanished from her life? Left her alone and went off and put himself in danger...ALOT!'' Her yell echoed painfully through the communicator, ''She doesn't want to go through that again! And frankly she shouldn't have to.'' She paused and this time exhaled in a gentle grace, almost with a hint of wistful knowing, ''She cares too much Reno...she doesn't know what to do.''

His aquamarine eyes glosses slightly as a thin surface of salted liquid brushed over them, though he managed to keep this new development for his voice, ''I never thought...''

A small giggle escaped from the ninja, ''Do you ever?''

Reno would have laughed too, though his present circumstances suddenly became once again apparent, ''I...I have to go.''

''Good! You're hogging the line, and there's a box of frosties in the kitchen with my name on them.''

He smiled at her strange, energetic enthusiasm, which seemed such a lost emotion his own current residence, ''Goodbye Yuffe.''

''See ya later Reno...oh and Turk boy?''

''Hm?''

''When-if you get back...I hope you can suck it up and finally tell her.''

The young Turk's form gave a nervous jolt, before quickly lowering the device and flicking it shut.

His mind seemed to blank as he allowed himself to stare at its blackened case, before gently pushing off from the roughened bark and walking back over his created path, even though nearly ever particle of his being seemed to resist his return.

* * *

It had grown dark remarkably quickly, and soon the darken wash of twilight blue was alight with a perfectly patterned mass of tiny stars, each burning with an irrepressible incandescent glow.

The ground had formed a more than adequate bed spread, with the soil being both soft, yet not damp, and with the weather that night being so calm, and the air so warm, he neither wanted or needed a blanket to become comfortable.

Rude was seemingly already within the thralls of unconscious rest, though the red head could not be utterly certain as his partners shades remained, whether out of necessity or forgetfulness, he didn't know, and he didn't appear to be the snoring type.

He though, had not been so lucky. Sleep seemed to have evaded him with a delicate, torturing ease, with both his body and mind becoming restless to the point of the extreme, even though with all honesty, he should have been exhausted, with his physical exertions, coupled with his mental state working over time for yet another day.

All he could do now was lay as still as possible, and hope that eventually, boredom rest would overtake his current state and allow him to drift away, as he blackened out his aquamarine gaze.

_The brunette stirred upon the pleasantly sprung mattress, though her own state was rather less than enjoyable. Her throat rustled dryly as she sprang into a coughing fit, spluttering various germs into the pink handkerchief, capturing them instantly, whilst her nose reddened as it streamed clear lines of fluid, her surrounding skin already a pasty white. _

_The red head rubbed her shoulder comfortingly, then fluffing one of her pillows energetically, before placing it comfortably beneath her, and proceeding to give the covers a quick straighten, attempting to make the young woman's stay upon the bed as bearable as possible. _

_He turned then, and was about to leave the room, though only made it across a quarter of the carpet before Tifa's weakened voice sounded out rather desperately, ''Where...Where are you going?''_

_Reno swivelled his gaze around to meet her own, and flashed her one of his warmest smiles, along with a trademark wink, ''Don't worry, I'll be right back...''_

_''You better...'' She mirrored his smile, though her eyes flickered tiredly. _

_The red head entered the kitchen and grabbed the wanted items, before crossing back over the living room, where both he and the brunette had spent most of the day._

_The sofa was now surrounded by tissues and blankets, not to mention the cushioned surface was scattered with various toys which she has requested upon her confinement._

_When he received her phone call, he **had **been on one of his rarer days off, though when her voice had journeyed down the receiver it had sounded more like a higher pitched version of Cid after a week of chain smoking than the usual lively harmonic voice he had come to associate with the caller, though when he arrived to find her curled up upon the sofa, trembling like a defeated youngster, he understood immediately._

_She'd caught the most dreaded and rife of illnesses...the common cold._

_When he entered the bedroom once again, he brought with him a glass of chilled water, a box of super soft tissues, and a bottle of smelling oil, which supposedly helped clear the air ways. He wasn't entirely convinced by this claim, but Tifa seemed to enjoy it, and if it help her sleep, then it was fine by him. _

_He hesitantly reached out and stroked away a few strands of her darkened locks from the clinging grasp of the sweat with hung around her face, as his body suddenly filled him with a strange urge to sit down beside the young woman, and watch her through the night, there to protect her. _

_The red head sighed as her crimson-tinted eyes opened again, ''So, you good?'' he cringed slightly at his lack of thought chosen words, ''I mean, you've got everything you need now yeah?''_

_Tifa nodded gently, before stopping and allowing a nervous smile to play upon her colour drained lips ''Wait, there is one thing...''_

_''Hm?''_

_She used her free hand to pull him closer and soon her mouth was level with his left ear, and as she whispered the air brushed against his lobe, with a heated pleasure._

_He departed once again, and when he returned, he carried with him a small, stuffed toy chocobo, one of the toys she'd asked him for first that morning, though when he drew himself up to the woman upon the bed, he was quick to notice her closed lids, and the serene calm which had befallen her physical form._

_She'd fallen asleep._

_He smiled inwardly at the sight, before carefully tucking the brought item in between the brunette and her sheets, so it resided beside her, moving only slightly with every small motion upon the mattress's surface. _

_Reno watched her for a few more minutes, before returning to the living room, where he soon plonked himself down upon the toy covered sofa and nestled himself within the fluffy heap. _

_As he turned, he came face to face with what looked like a giant stuffed cabbage, though he chose to ignore that point, and rather perceive how adorable he found it since the brunette's request for the comforting mass. _

_If it had been anyone else, he would have probably thought it somewhat stupid._

_A contented smile curled upon his thin lips, as he lowered his head down upon one of the sofa's cushions, and before allowing his eyes to close, he took one last glance at the green fluffy ball, his brow rising, as he sighed, ''I think I might actually love that women...''_

Reno's form stilled, as a subconscious smile of delighted purity graced his features, and as he finally committed himself to the rest he so desperately wanted, he seemed to forget all warning thoughts concerning what damaging images his mind might bring him that night, as his body drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

A/N= Sorry for the wait peeps! It has been rather hectic at home at the mo, and I've had to do a lot of things I wasn't expecting to do this week, but yeah...sorry

Anyway, I thought I'd make this chapter a little lighter than its predecessor, and I thought it was time for a few more good old fashioned flashbacks! It seemed the right moment to draw the focus upon Tifa and Reno's relationship, and how he views it and what he feels were important moments etc, because obviously technically he and we for that matter have no idea how Tifa feels about him...


	9. Ch9:Tracks upon the Trusting Imagnation

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Nine...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Nine: Tracks upon the Trusting Imagination **

The young man's brow furrowed lightly, as his facial muscles twitched in response to the array of silent, yet completely inescapable images playing out within the coils of his unconscious mind. If he had been somehow able to view the exterior display he was unwillingly giving to the towering plant life surrounding him, he would no doubt have been left feeling rather disconcerted.

Though as he continued to move erratically upon the softened soil, which dented repeatedly with every impact, his attention was shown to be rather more attached to his current, seemingly unsolvable predicament.

Strands of flame red locks clung onto his face's most defined contours, as the once light sheet of humid sweat which had been created by his present atmosphere altered and began to mingle with the new, chillingly icy beads, which settled with an uncomfortable weight.

A few clumps of the darkened brown soil had already found themselves resting with some ease across the thin, fibrous materials that hung about his form, and though unnoticeable at first, there was also a rather generous amount of moist dirt gripped beneath the tips of his fingernails.

His outward appearance would have been quite concerning to any unknowing passer-by, though of course with his chosen position being situated within woodland which could have quite easily been described as uninhabitable, with its uncountable mass of trees being heavily coated in threateningly hanging vines, and the dense, untamed covering of foliage which littered most of the once safer paths, any presence they came across would have been seen as more likely to become a threat to them rather than an aid.

A soft, yet strained grunt of displeasure rumbled within the back of the red head's deep, clenched throat, as his lips remained clamped together, their once pink shade fading into a paler wash, as the tightness of their contact began to take effect, though this self-inflicted numbness seemed to go unnoticed by their owner as his grunts died away, and became replaced by session of rather violent jerks.

Although his form barely moved from the dent defined spot he had first chosen to place himself upon, the young man's somewhat lanky form was able to thrash about with a degree of impressive magnitude, as though held within the desperate belief, that he was, in fact, locked in battle with some unknown assailant.

The movements grew energetically worse before they were allowed to fade, and although his body appeared unharmed at present, an array of underlying bruises were no doubt beginning to form below his skin's pale surface, though the presumption was made to be left unfounded, as the red head, once again, didn't attempt to recognise any damage he had caused upon himself, choosing instead, to gently return to the images he found so enthralling.

A seemingly peaceful silence proceeded to pass, with the quiet only being interrupted with the occasional rustle being softly emitted from the gatherings of both dried and glossy leaves, which brushed against one another with each churning stroke carried upon the breeze.

The settled atmosphere was allowed to remain around the pair for some time, and after the red head had rested without movement for a healthy duration, he slowly lifted himself, and revealed his aquamarine gaze, which flickered at first, though soon became fully able, as he managed to gain his focus upon the surrounding area.

A darkened line was evident below his brightened eyes, and yet he did not seem to be overtired. The rest of him also seemed to intent on sharing the effect, as his hard-wearing clothes hung from his limbs with a worn pitifulness, whilst his visible skin began to show their battered patches, with their shade slowly beginning its colourful transition, as the damaged, blooded tissue gathered.

He grimaced slightly as he pulled on his trench coat, which had been used as a make-shift pillow, back on, as the action caused some of its heavy folds to tighten around a particularly effected area, resulting in a dull, thumping sensation to set in.

''How are you feeling?''

Reno quickly shifted his line of sight over to where the deep, calmly restrained voice had sounded from.

The noticeably larger of the pair was sat a few metres away, upon a particularly large tree root, picked clearly for its sturdy looking structure, rather than its comfortability.

His back rested against the roughened trunk, as the bald Turk's gloved fingers quietly, but meticulously riffled through the unknown contents of his personal carrier, which he had held attached upon the underside of his jacket during their travelling.

The younger Turk paused in thought for a few moments, as he studied the small clearing he was centred within. He concluded from the whitish rays freckling through the tree top canopy, and the beginning emittanceof various rustles and calls, unseen, though detectable through the undergrowth, that the hour had pasted into the detestable period of early morning.

Reno ran a hand through his topper-most flame red spikes, before slowly drawing his attention back to his fellow-Turk, and flashing him a half-hearted smirk, ''Like I've just gone ten rounds with Sephiroth...''

Rude grunted and allowed a slightly smile to play about the corners of his usually straightened lips, ''Ten rounds...you really think you'd last that long?''

The red head mocked up some glitteringlyfake laughter, before rather ungracefully rising from his position and saddling up to the taller Turk, with a mild look of interest playing across his brow, ''So, how come you're up already?''

Rude answered, though kept his attention upon the carrier within his grasp, ''I had to retrieve are new coordinates. Besides...'' He raised a solitary eyebrow with a degree of softness, ''...you were becoming quite the sleep-deterrent..''

Reno's face tightened as he grimaced with embarrassment, before latching his fingers together in nervous play, ''Oh yeah...sorry about that.''

The seated form surveyed the red head for a brief moment with a knowing apprehension, ''Another nightmare?''

He responded with a simple nod, before plonking himself down on a neighbouring tree root and chuckling lightly, ''I always thought they were just for kids.'' His head lowered slightly before turning towards Rude, ''Do you ever get them?''

The bald Turk paused briefly in thought before answering, ''Not for a while now.'' his shoulder lowered slightly before he added, ''I don't tend to dream that much.''

A short silence followed, as the red head ran his finger tips along the bumpy surface of the nearest patch of tree trunk absent-mindedly, before he allowed curiosity to set in, ''What...what was your last nightmare about?''

Rude stiffened for a moment, before muttering rather too quickly, ''I don't remember.''

If he was being honest, the young Turk hadn't really expected his partner to give him any details on the matter, though he couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at the masked refusal.

When the quiet between them began to tense, Reno decided a change in mood was called for, and quickly gathered his up his thin-spread energy to flash his fellow-Turk a wide, almost playful smile, ''Well, at least I didn't rip your insides out this time!''

His smile brightened even more, as he gained the wanted response, and soon they were both sharing the same, light-hearted atmosphere.

When Reno's chuckle began to die down, the taller of the two shifted to view him with a raised brow, ''I thought it might be best to leave you to your own violent tendencies this time.''

''Yeah...'' The red head nodded in amused agreement,before returning his fingertips to their bark inspection.

''I was thinking about maybe throwing a rock at you...'' Rude smirked slightly, and the red head began chuckling again, though he soon proceeded to flinch, as his joyful excursion took effect upon his aching form, ''But...it looks like you've got enough bruises already.''

Reno lowered his gaze as he gently rubbed a particularly sore patch of skin, ''Maybe you should just tie me up.''

When he received no response, the red head returned his line of sight, only to find a very confused, and really rather nervous looking Rude staring at him with quirked eyebrows.

Upon realising the obvious misunderstanding, the young Turk's eyes widened, ''I mean before I go to sleep!''

The taller Turk's expression relaxed immediately, ''Oh.'' before he quickly carried on with reattaching his carrier to the inner edge of his jacket.

He worked on it for a few moments, before adding with some sense of kindness, ''I got you some breakfast.''

Reno's head darted about like a energetic ferret's, and his eyes shone, as his aquamarine gaze latched onto a nearby container, ''Nice one!''

Within seconds he had retrieved the weighted item, and had torn of the plastic lid with a firm, yet not careless excitement.

He studied the contents for a while, before subjecting the round items to a various array of curious sniffs, and suspicious pokes, whilst Rude observed his actions through the corner of his eye.

''It's fruit Reno...''

* * *

A sharp, weighted clap sounded from the hidden clouds above them, and as the lingering after-rumble started to fade, a deepened sheet of clear, cold droplets began pouring out from their heightened source.

Reno didn't need to count the seconds in between the flash of strong, white lightning, which brightened harshly against his gaze, and the next thunderous emittance; he already knew the storm had broken out uncomfortably close to their path.

The taller Turk seemed equally aware of the danger surrounding them, in such a wooden area, and for a few moments he slowed his steps, as though assessing the right moves to make. Seconds later his strong pace returned, and he continued on, never flinching at the closely paired strike and clap, thus displaying to the red head, its unimportance concerning their mission.

His feet thudded softly as the still, relatively dry soil, as it remained protected from the moist scatterings by the thick, overhanging canopy, which acted as a rather effective shield, though some of the weaker sections were forced to bow at the fierce attack, allowing the odd trickle of rain to run down the thinner branches, and upon the small, cover-free patches of woodland floor a pitter-patter sounded as the dirt was met with the impact of the quickened mass.

Rain continued to forcibly pound above them, creating a horribly dull harmony against the tree-top's upper most leaves, whose veined structures were desperately attempting to hold position. Soon the air began to dense with the change in atmospheric pressure, with the area steadily growing clammy, and yet also taking on a bracing chill, thus causing the red head's clothes to occasionally stick against his lightly moistened skin, only to hang on for the briefest of seconds, before brushing off again, to then be replaced elsewhere.

The Turk's had been travelling for an estimated good few hours now, and although they had set off within the early hours, the sky had melted back into a washed-out darkened grey, with the appearance of the threatening rain clouds. The paling atmosphere did nothing for the red head's already lowered spirits, and instead, just seemed to be adding to the even heavier, resting gloom upon his shoulders, as his body began to weaken in effect from the lack of driving energy and the array of painful aches, as he was forced to proceed upon the unmarked path.

Once upon a time, Reno would have taken the whole thing in his stride, after all, back in his early years of working for Shin-Ra, he had been involved within many a high-endurance mission, instructing and leading many a complicated kidnapping, as well as a few of the more dangerous assassinations.

Though now, it all seemed so much more like hard-work, rather than the once high-edged excitement; the job was getting to him, he had been out of it for too long, and it was showing.

Although he was fairly certain he wasn't the only long-standing Shin-Ra worker to have been effected, his fellow-Turk seemingly appeared to be handling the hardened excursion with a controlled ease, almost as if he had somehow known such a mission would arise once again, making the red head feel both confused and embarrassed at his own pathetic weakness, both physically and mentally.

The young Turk had no real founded knowledge when it came to the question of time length surrounding his newest mission, the forthcoming hindrances that would no doubt befall them, and the result wanted along with its completion, but the one thing he was sure about was the fact that progress had been made within the woodland section of their travels.

The two Turk's were now a healthy way through the mass of emerald hinted trees, having already passed the deepened, highly tangled centre gathering, which had forced out many knife lashings from both him and Rude, as they had battled their way through the green, whip-like overgrowth.

Although he was unable, as of yet, to see the lightened clearing beyond the lined trees, Reno did have some remembrance to what might be coming after their woodland exit, as he recalled the snow peaked mountainous view he had studied so carefully before the journey's beginning.

Even if leaving his current surroundings would, no doubt, result in him having to camp in colder, more uncomfortable conditions, not to mention the increased difficulty involving travelling upon the heightened region, the idea of escaping the dense, green trappings somewhat brightened the red head's thoughts.

The mindless drowning effect that the storm brought about, did little to effect Reno's thought trail, which had for some time been lingering upon the young brunette now so many miles away, and the nervous tension growing so quickly upon his side of the relationship.

The phone call, had indeed, lessened the weight upon him, in some respects, although in other's it had taken quite the opposite effect, after all, knowing that Tifahad been so cut up about his absence was both terrible and heart-warming; as the idea of her caring to such a degree opened up the unspoken possibilities between them, and yet the young Turk hated the troubled pain he had so unwillingly unleashed upon her.

When he got back, if he got back, he would have to tell her. Yuffie was right, _How did that little ninja twerp get to be so profound? _even if he still had no idea how she knew about his feelings in the first place. The whole restrained play had been running for long enough, and it was time to close his last performance and proceed to something bigger, and much, much better.

He was almost certain that, even if she regretfully didn't feel the same, the pair would remain friends, though, even if it turned out like that, would he be able to stand it? Would he have to wait until his feelings faded away? What if they never went, and he was forced to watch her become someone else's?

But, what if she did, in fact, share his feelings, what would happen then? Would they just live happily ever after? Somehow that idea seemed rather unlikely; with him working as a Turk, and with her, so opposed to the company. True she had no problem being his friend, but committed to a relationship, well, that would be something of an entirely different meaning.

The young Turk was suddenly snapped out of the uplifted, elation lined thoughts and back to the dulling reality, as a particularly roaring rumble of thunder echoed violently about their darkened surroundings, followed swiftly by a flash of lightening, which shot with purpose direction, from the heightened distance of the clouded sky, and down towards one of the woodland's taller trees, which had happened to have the misfortune of being positioned some degree above the neighbouring trunks.

Its bark crackled as the heated strike split its insides with a gracefully unwitnessed ease, and soon the fibrous timber began to weaken, succumbing to the now stronger, gravitational pull. Within seconds its frame had started its descend, taking other branches and crushing plant-life in its path, and as the lightning ravaged trunk came to rest upon the woodland floor witha deafening thud, Reno's heart missed a beat, upon the realisation of just how random both his, and Rude'sluck had been, as they both continued on throughout the storm's passing.

* * *

The last remaining daylight hours soon melted away, as evening fell down upon the woodland, and thus leaving both Turk's illuminated only by the faint, pale moonbeams, that managed to pierce through the greenery.

Their camping spot was noticeably less comfortable that their previous choice; the trees seemed tightly packed, and seemingly closed in around them, whilst a rather unrelenting scent, which could only be described as decomposing foliage, hung heavily within the air. Not only that, but the surrounding tree's had entwined their thickened roots with one another, barley inches below the soil, meaning that wherever Reno decided to sit, he always found himself being pressed by an array of bumps and pressured soil.

Nevertheless the two Turk's positioned themselves upon the some of the more smoother spots, and began to consume the foodstuff that they had been collecting during their time travelling, which included, much to the red head's disappointment, a variety of fruit and a couple of large fungi, that, according to Rude, where safe to eat, though Reno was still slightly skeptical.

After finishing his second, rather peach-like fruit, and flicking its stone in the direction of one of the neighbouring tree's, the young Turk sighed with tired boredom and tilted his head slightly towards his partner, ''You gunna be up early again tomorrow?''

Rude remained silent, though his brow furrowed as he took another bite-sized portion of his purple-shaded berries.

The red head allowed his body to stretch pleasingly as he let out a prolonged yawn, before trying again, ''You know, to get our next co-ordinates.''

The taller Turk responded with a mere grunt as he continued with his meal, Reno feeling both a bit unsatisfied and rather curious.

''So, how does it work then?''

Rude swallowed down the last of the seeded morsels, before lifting his gaze briefly, ''How does what work?''

''The whole directions thing, I mean, do they call, or do you just get a message, or-'' He cut himself off, as he performed a 'so on and so forth' hand gesture, whilst his other free hand absent-mindedly attempted to remove the small, dried patch of gained dirt upon his trouser knee.

''Why does it matter?''

Reno raised his brow lightly, clearly unaware of the stern, annoyance within his partner's tone, ''I was just interested, that's all-''

''Well just stop it, ok.'' The pained desperation that lined the taller Turk's voice silenced the red head immediately, and left them to sit in an uncomfortable silence.

Eventually, Reno's brow cocked, as his line of curiosity, began to mingle with suspicion, ''Rude...what's going on?'' he survey his fellow-Turk intently, before his own expression dropped as the unwanted realisation set in, ''You've known...haven't you?'' ''All this time...you've know exactly where we were going...''

For once Rude's silence was more revealing than anything he could have spoken.

The red head let out a disbelieving huff, ''I can't believe this.''

His partner rubbed his knuckles together with a nervous frustration, ''They were going to tell you too but...they decided that it might make things...problematic.''

Reno's face clenched in anger, ''Whose 'they'? Tseng? Rufus?'' he only let the briefest silence pass before his tightly restrained temper overloaded, ''WHO?''

''I don't know.''

''You lied to me.'' Although their was no escaping the clarity of regret within both his fellow-Turk's tone, and pained expression, the young red head couldn't repress the stinging hurt he felt at the deception.

Rude massaged his forehead with a forceful pressure, ''It was an order, I couldn't-''

''What else have you been hiding from me Rude?'' After letting out another deepened huff, Reno jolted up, ''You're suppose to be my friend, we're suppose to work as a team...how can we do that now?''

For a lingering moment, the two Turk's stared at one another, as though they were both either too distressed or too tired to continue.

The red head shook his head, lowering his gaze, and muttered without a hint of anger, ''How am I suppose to trust anything you say?''

''Reno-'' Rude quickly rose, and attempted to place a comforting hand upon his shoulder, though as soon as his gloved fingers brushed upon the Turk's skin, he was tugged away.

''I'm not-'' He shifted his gaze slightly, though not enough to look his partner in the eye, before walking away towards some parted trees, ''I just need a moment.''

Before long he had made his way through a great deal of low growing bracken, which Reno, in his current mood, took delight in breaking under foot; with each snap of thorny wood, came a release from the building tension, even if it the amount was so minuscule.

His facial muscles clenched,_ How did this happen... _

The young red head halted for a moment and leant back against a nearby tree trunk, allowing his head to tilt back in tired self-exasperation,''How did_** I let **_this happen...''

He remained there, pressed upon the hard, roughened bark, for a few quiet minutes, with lowered lids, as he attempted to clear his thoughts.

After managing to gain some sense of clarity, Reno arched his back slightly, as he began the process of pushing his body, back out of his tree-made rest, though as his flame red locks fell back into place, and his head settled back into its upright position, something calling whistled past his earlobe, causing him to abruptly return to his senses.

A light rustle sounded to his left, by a nearby group, of wall-like lined trees, and yet the wind had all but disappeared, leaving the woodland grove to be coated with an eerie sort of serenity.

The red head narrowed his aquamarine gaze, as he proceeded to watch the emerald leaves, and brown bark, grow, and yet fade back; the experience likeable to a long distance walker rising his line of sight up to meet the horizon, to find the view rushing forward into focus, and yet also remaining as distant as ever.

He felt a wave of light-headedness come over him, as he observed the moving greenery in disbelief, and attempting to shake himself out of it, Reno rubbed his eyes forcibly, with the back of his hand, before proceeding to allow his vision to blink back into focus, though when it did, he found the surreal sight had remained.

For a while, Reno wondered whether he had finally succumb to exhaustion, and was either asleep and having another dream, or was still awake, and experiencing some sort of hallucination, no doubt caused by the woodland food, Rude had falsely proclaimed to be safe.

The silence soon became deafening in its intensity, as the red head's sense began to prickle with uncertainty at his chosen reasoning behind what he was witnessing.

There was something else, something there, it felt wrong in every way, and yet also jarringly real; as if some long hidden secret had decided to lift its mask for him, and him alone.

Within his chest, the young Turk's heart beat steadily against its protecting ribcage, as he continued to watch the stillness contained inside the now, empty partition.

Suddenly, but not so unexpectedly, a figure began to approach out, from under the lower lying mist, that cloaked the depth of void-like space. As it drew closer, and lost the surrounding shroud of whitened air, a set of lightning blue eyes, glinted towards him, through flicks of dark red hair, which whipped about them, and although the unknown body was present, it remained unfocused within the young Turk's gaze, whilst allowing wisps of leather-heavy scent to meet with his senses.

The form halted, mere metres from him, before a slowly creeping smile graced their features, and not the especially kind sort, but rather more, ''knowingly confident' in its presence, though it wasn't the smug expression that made Reno's jaw tighten, and his eye's moisten, it was the scent now overpowering the intruder's previous material-influenced one, a scent that was all to familiar; one delicately feminine, yet brushed with the lightness of bar wood, and always mingled with the orange-fruited shampoo, that the brunette so adored.

Before his body could tremble with recognition, a whip-like silver blade, sliced through his cheek, leaving a sharp pang in its wake, though when Reno lifted his hand, to grasp the attacking wound, his fingertips were met with neither an opening, nor an overflow of heated blood.

When he rose his pained gaze back up to the taunting offender, his aquamarine eyes found no empty parting, no eerie void-like silence, and no unknown figure, but just the woodland, the trees, once again, returned to the wall-like line.

A tearing rustle behind he, caused the young Turk to avert his gaze away from their focused spot, and towards the opening where the sound was being emitted, the breath caught within his throat as he peered into the emerald darkness with narrowed eyes.

As the familiar form barged through the tangled mass of bracken, a silent sigh of relief departed from Reno's tightly clenched throat, though when he attempted to greet his fellow-Turk, he found himself unable to form the words; his mind seemingly still busy attempting to process the events that took place just moments ago.

Although he had allowed it to settle slightly, Rude's breathstill actively rippled as he spoke, ''Reno I-'' the bald Turk stopped as his eyes began to study the young red head, whom was staring at him with not hatred, annoyance, or confusion, but fearful shock.

Rude's face straightened immediately as he began to share his partner's nervous field, ''What happened?''

''I've...'' The young Turk's face tightened in a light, thoughtful confusion, before his voice regained itself, ''I've just seen a ghost...''

* * *

A/N= Sorry for the wait! I've been super busy this week, because finally, after...nearly nineteen years I've gotten my own room...

Me and my sister have always shared a room...forever, but three years ago she left for Uni...and left all her junk behind; bed, cupboards, books, toys...meaning that although I had my own room,it was still as though I was sharing...

But now, after deciding to take her MA and then move up to Birmingham (where she's studying) afterwards, she's (after much protesting from me) moved all her stuff down to the spare room we have downstairs (which used to be the computer room till we moved them somewhere else about six months ago), I'm finally getting it to myself!

We've re-painted, re-carpeted, got new curtains, new duvet covers, new bed...well futon, new furniture which I never could fit in before (wardrobe, desk, desk chair, nice big shelving unit, light, nice flat screen TV, beanbag, rug, mirror) along with my old stuff, not to mention four beautifully amazing Final Fantasy VII wall scrolls...I literally start salivating just thinking about them...

But yeah...basically I've been/am still in the process of finishing it... thus it has been rather distracting...not to mention hard work...

Anyway, onto the actual chapter!

I know this RenoxTifa fic hasn't actually had a great deal of actual Tifa in it recently, but don't worry because she'll be making another appearance very shortly ;)

I'd already planned to do a section with a mention to storms, and when I came to write it this evening, a real storm started outside! It was quite weird...and amusing...though there was one yesterday as well, and I'm home alone...and it was like 11pm...and I had no torch...not fun...I had to use my lap top screen to guide me to the bathroom!

But yeah...I kinda laid the romantic stuff on in the last chapter, so this one kinda called for something different...plus I had a few things I wanted to get in XD

And I know this mission might seem like it's dragging on a bit, but it's rather important concerning the rest of the plot of both this fic and its sequel! :)

Now, on to the subject of my next update!...

My parents have gone away on holiday again for a week, thus leaving me again with a free house, but unlike last month, my mate is/will be back from University! So basically she'll be coming over for nearly the entire week to keep me company, and enjoy my new room!

Now this will basically mean I'll have no time and actually no opportunity to write anything during those few days, which means it'll be a little longer till you get an update, but not too long!

But I will still be checking my email/profile, so I will read reviews... (hint hint)

And the next chapter should be out sometime late in the week beginning 6th-12th July, :)


	10. Ch10:Treacherous Paths,with Treacherous

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Ten...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Ten: Treacherous Paths, with Treacherous Friends**

Rude's eyebrow twitched slightly, before setting into place beside the other, which was furrowed deeply along the bringing bridge of his nose.

The silence that continued to settle between the two Turks was one of unbearable tension, with the red head's last statement still ringing through the air, and the evening's past revelations retaining their hold underneath.

Neither could be sure of the length of time which was allowed to pass before a response was made, but when the words finally managed to escape into the quiet, pine-scented, woodland night, they came with a noticeable edge of confused apprehension.

''What are you talking about?''

The young Turk took in a shuddering breath, as his aquamarine gaze faltered for a few moments from his partner's form, ''I...I don't know.''

The sharp splintering of violated wood pierced against the matted ground, and trembled through the mass of long since forgotten bracken litter and newly fallen leaves that were neighbouring in such close proximity, as the bald male took a few, hesitant steps towards the red head, whom still stood reeling from his unexplainable experience.

''Reno.''

His head jerked with a half-suppressed offence, as he returned his attention back up towards his partner, whilst his teeth made to grind against one another, ''I'm not crazy.''

''I wasn't suggesting-'' Rude made to raise a supposedly friendly hand in defence, but before his five, strong held fingers could make contact with the higher, colder air, they were halted in their path by a swift, blocking motion from the red head.

Reno's eyes were flashing with both anger, and childish accusation, both of which were prominent within his raised, uncontrolled tone, ''Yes you were!''

The bald male allowed his eyes to roll within their sockets, after emitting a rather tired sigh, ''It's just...'' a small, low chuckle escaped his lips, with a hint of disbelief carried in its wake, ''...a ghost?''

Reno stomped his foot in an agitated desperation, ''Don't you look at me like that!''

Anyone observing the scene would have likened it to some silly, playmates spat, with both Turks standing off against the other with a somewhat overplayed tone of drama and disbelief.

Rude crossed his arms and inhaled deeply, ''You've been having dreams, you're upset, and you're overtired...can you blame me for being a tad skeptical about the authenticity of your claim...''

Every syllable had been drawn out to its full worth, making his tone seem even more patronising than before. The red head's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing suddenly, ''Why do you have to talk like that? It's so...formal. Can't you just say you think I'm imaging it all.''

The bald male made to open his mouth, but seemingly no words that could find their way out would be deemed as a worthy response, so instead his lips clamped together tightly, whilst the red head was given the chance to fill the silence.

He rose a solitary eyebrow, though no smirk, or arrogant smile appeared to join with it, as a rather serious, knowingly calm expression of unreadable emotion graced his facial contours, ''I know the difference between dreams and reality...and I know what I saw...and that was not a creation of my own mind.''

Reno's aquamarine gaze locked onto his partner's with an unbreakable ease, for what seemed like an eternity held within a second, with the red head continuing to hold his focus steady, and showing no signs of flickering, whilst Rude seemed almost burdened underneath it.

After an unpredicted moment, the bald male broke the matched stare and directed his own to take fascination with one of the nearby tree trunks, as his voice returned, though it was now a mere tremble against the air, ''It's late, and we have a long trek to complete. We best get some rest.''

The somewhat disappointed sigh was emitted from the red head, ''Whatever.''

As he willed himself forward, upon the unmarked path that would return him to the equally non-distinguishable camp, Rude remained behind, waiting for him to proceed him, before he chose to follow, though the moment the young Turk had surpassed the form of his partner, he made a point to halt, and tilt his head, so as to view him once again.

''Oh and Rude?''

The bald male made no audible response, though he acknowledged the intent to query with a simple, unremarkable nod of the head.

''Don't think I've forgotten.''

Although the red head's gaze was not purely directed at Rude's own, he could still feel it burning upon him; the damage he had caused upon their shared friendship becoming apparent once again, as the young Turk spoke without a hint of sarcasm or amusement, but just with the serene quality that only ever came with true conviction.

''I still think you're a complete jackass.''

* * *

For the most part, their remaining woodland journey was carried out in a state of personal silence, with only the sharp snapping of hardened bracken and the gentle rustle of clashing leaf matter providing a travelling soundtrack.

Though occasionally, when the area would fall particularly still, from lack of both passing weather disturbances and covered ground, Reno would catch his own breath so as to listen to that of his partner. True, nearly every thought connected with the bald co-worker would be filled with a sense of burning confusion and uncontrollable anger, but, no matter how hard he tried, the young Turk was still very much concerned for the well-being of his partner.

The wound had begun to heal at least, with the bleeding ceasing to be so constant, with only the sparsest of trickles emitting from the deep gash when rashly physical movement, or stretching was applied, but that was a small comfort when shared with the internal damage that was still rather weakened.

The red head could hear, in his flickering breath, and see, in the masked flinches, that it was still, very much, affecting Rude, and the added pressure of travelling in such harsh, poor conditions was no doubt, testing his body to the limit, with its breaking point waving on a very, very thin line.

Reno's attention had been so wrapped up within his own, conflicting thoughts, that his outward senses were slightly unaware of the increasing degree of pure sunlight that had been, before, somewhat mingled and entwined through the treetop canopy, though now seemed to be sourced with a much clearer ability, as the green obstructions began to disappear.

It wasn't until a rather swift chill began to whip at the higher contours of his cheeks, and the tip of his well defined nose, brushing them with a warm, red hue, that the young Turk noticed that the trees had indeed cleared, as their passage through he woodland came to a quiet end, whilst delivering them at their journey's next, daunting and all too demanding looking pass.

The dark, cold, silver looking slate of the mountain's foundation was of a size unreadable by mere observation, and even the red head couldn't withhold the wisp like gasp that was emitted when his aquamarine eyes allowed themselves to widen upon meeting with the mass of rock.

The whole area seemed cast in shadow, and yet a certain brightness surrounding them, as the higher points stood buried within layers of deep set snow, causing the high burning sun to reflect off the pure whiteness with an almost painful precision, and yet he was still unable to determine its true height, with the top being at such an altitude that it had become hidden within the puff like clouds, and the added icy smoke emitted from the chilled mountain peak.

There was no denying that the following climb would be one of incredible challenge, and with both the younger Turk and his partner being on such distant terms, the idea of committing to such a pursuit was not a very comfortable one.

The thought of what Shin-Ra might be searching for in such extremes, filled Reno with both intrigue and fear, although he was somewhat dubious to the idea that what they had come for would be upon the very top of the mountain's peak, with the many cavernous trenches and deepened rock-faces being a rather more viable options.

Reno's gaze lingered on the looming structure of natural creation for a few more moments before it flickered under the overwhelming state of awe, and reverted back down, towards the form of the bald Turk, whom was now busily arranging and constructing the apparatus needed for their vertical hike.

The red head couldn't help but wonder about the real authenticity behind Rude's apparent ignorance concerning the mission and their actual purpose, sure he had admitted to knowing the location, but he had yet to either deny, or indeed acknowledge the extent of his knowledge within the context of the end goal.

For the following three minutes, he observed his partner in silence, taking note of every facial grimace, and muted sigh, hidden behind the plate of smooth, emotionless calm that he displayed to such a level of perfection, that the changes were almost impossible to spot, with Reno only able due to his high exposure and far-backed history involving the taller, silent Turk.

He had to fight against the small, half smile, that threatened to tug at the corners of his thin, pale lips, as he watched Rude study the mountain surface and emit another quiet sigh, along with a deeply furrowed brow; he knew for a fact, that the bald male had an intense dislike for heights, in fact, he feared them with a passion, though of course he would never dismiss a mission on the principle.

In the past, the red head had rather enjoyed teasing his co-worker about his little phobia, especially during their trips upon the Turks personal, Shin-Ra Helicopter, with Reno purposefully performing fancy swoops and jarring swifts within the air, much to his partner's obvious discomfort.

Of course, the younger Turk hadn't acted to be a 'bully' of sorts, but now that he looked back on it, maybe what he had thought of as 'a bit of fun', wasn't exactly seen so accordingly by Rude, and although he had never made a strong, formal complain against the behaviour, there was no denying that the numerous offences to his nervous state had affected his own, personal feelings towards the red head.

Reno's brow contorted, both in self-shame and anger, _Am I really any better than him... _

His hand raised itself slowly up to the collar of the whitened t-shirt and began to play with the material in a subconscious agitation,_ I have to be...I wouldn't...I couldn't do what he's done... _

A deflated sigh of pained amusement escaped from his parted lips, whilst his arm flung back down, and his fist clenched, as he mouthed out silently, ''Who am I kidding...''

_Of course I would..._

''Do you need a hand?''

Rude made a rather noticeable flinch at the sudden emittance from the red head, whom had resolutely refused any conversation with him since their last confrontation.

A short pause passed between them, as the bald Turk studied his partner in a state of both wary confusion and masked relief, though eventually he managed to gather up the will to mutter out the simplest of answers, ''No...it's ok.''

His tone had been both steady, and calm, and yet the gentle warm, along with the underlying waves of somewhat 'child-like' nerves had not gone unnoticed by Reno, whose gaze remained locked upon the bald male, with some degree of careful deliberation.

''Here, take this, and harness yourself.'' Rude rose from his previously hunched position, with the gathered items, and handed the red head a long piece of material, along with a variety of clips and metallic sharpened tools.

''Make sure to use the pickaxe when we reach the icier slopes, and take your time, don't rush and choose weakened spots...''

His voice died out as a silent and almost invisible shudder waved over the bald Turk, whom was clearly unsettled by the both the image and the thought that came with the guiding tips.

A few moments later, he seemed to regain his former state, and carried on with the straight, unwavering directions, ''We'll need to work together, it'll be dangerous, and this will be a very long, uncomfortable journey unless we both concentrate, plan, and communicate with each other. Otherwise...-''

Once again, Rude's voice appeared to fail him, though this time, it was the red head whom broke the silence, with a tone rather lacking in his previously displayed new-born anger.

His lips pulled apart, with hints, rather surprisingly, of amused teasing, and yet the very brushes of a genuine, heart-felt smile graced itself upon him, ''Don't worry, I won't let you fall.''

* * *

Reno heaved himself up, onto yet another, ice hard ledge, which, in itself was no more than half a metre wide, meaning that he was still, basically, hanging from the mountain side, just one motion away from taking a rather more than uncomfortable drop.

The red head relaxed against the cold rock, as he took a few seconds out to remove one of the hooks, and replace it upon the new, chosen stop, before proceeding to clamber to his feet and tighten his grip above a nearby dent, which looked to be the perfect size and shape to be used as a foot hold.

A series of clenched gasps were soon emitted from the young Turk's mouth, as he realised the next, acceptably well-sized ledge, upon which to pause, was not yet within his line of sight, meaning this section of high-scaled climbing would be rather more prolonged than he'd hoped.

As he pulled himself up to latch his foot upon an nicely-protruding piece of jagged rock, the red head slowly began to grumble quietly to himself, with his words catching upon in-between, with the raised excursion's breath-choking effects prominent within his light, tired tone, ''I'll...never...complain...about...having...to trudge...though...tree infested land...ever...ever...again!''

Luckily for Reno, the bald male was quiet a healthy measure ahead of him, and was not able to pick up upon the begging admittance, as after spending an unbearable amount of time with the red head inside the woodland, within which, he had made personal note to air, and argue every little niggling irritation he found with the area, the comment might have indeed resulted in Rude finally having something to tease his partner about.

Though the dislike for the new, unmarked path, was hardly surprising, and the idea of anyone actually enjoying such a thing seemed far too close to true insanity to be associated with a healthy, leisurely, thrilling pursuit.

Both Turks had allowed a gentle quiet to settle, though this time, not because of any pained, undesirable tension between them, but rather because each movement required a great deal of concentration, not to mention that one was always having to look out for the other, after all, if either fell into trouble the only help they would receive would come from their fellow partner.

Each ledge had slowly been becoming further and further set apart, and although both had been trained to withstand such stains upon their bodies, neither could deny that their muscles were being pushed to the limit on this, though, it was not just their inner strength that was being punished.

Both of the climber's organs were not quite immune to the pressure that the atmospheric change was putting upon them, as now the air had become noticeably thinned, and the breathable contents had been diluted to within an inch of existence, not to mention, that every passing breeze felt like it had been brushed with the sharpest of chilled metallic whips and it wasn't even as if the area itself was a very invigorating stimulant; with the barren rock face, being both steely in shade and harsh formation, whilst the ice and thick snow covering made any scatting of plant life impossible.

Though it wasn't a total loss, as the lack of visual interest did lead to the red head being both able to keep his awareness alert and his thought clear through the quiet, but even then it wasn't perfect, with the calm state meaning that he couldn't always withhold the odd, unwanted thought, that made to creep into the corners of his mind, and mingle through to the centre of his focus.

Their rough-based travelling had certainly brought about more problems than expected, and even then, they were not the kind that Reno ever would have connected, in his widest imagination, with something like a mission, even if it had been shrouded within a rather guarded cloak of hushed secrets and unspoken decisions.

He was worried, that was fact, though what exactly about, he could not be entirely sure. But then again, Reno didn't really have any need to chose, he had so many perfectly liable reasons, that anyone of them would have fit the bill with quite an untouchable ease.

The young Turk had found himself rather forced, of late, to experience an array of unwanted emotion, as not only had he been shunned and withheld from the young brunette whom he had been so desperate to return to from the moment he had driven off on that road from Seventh Heaven, he had also been put through a series of dreams, both equally intriguing and disturbing in the content, which had, to his mind, begun to manifest within his own world, though it was the revelation about the true extent of Rude's knowledge and detailed orders that had been the red head's most recent, and most difficult problem.

''Reno.'' The bald male's voice echoed around the slated air with a quiet, yet determined delicacy.

The younger Turk slumped his form against a partially smooth section of rock, ''Hm?''

''Our final stop is upon my next ledge, when I reach it, I'll throw down my wire, then I'll pull you up.''

When the last of Rude's instructions had made their way down towards the red head, he gave a slow nod of agreement, before thumping his head upon his own metallic equipment, and sighing tiredly, ''Great...''

Reno remained hovering in place for a few minutes, with only a few cubbyholes to hold his grip, whilst the bald male carefully pegged his way up to the finishing ledge, though due to a hoard of low lying clouds, the young Turk was currently unable to direct with gaze anywhere upon it.

He pressed his forehead hard against the most comfortable section of cold rock, as he emitted a large, drawn-out yawn, _I am so...so...tired... _the red head allowed his aquamarine eyes to flicker to a gentle close, _Just for a few seconds... _another, lingering yawn escaped past his lips, ''Just for a few...''

His voice faded out completely, leaving in its wake nothing but the soft hum that could be likened, by anyone their to view it, to that of a muted snore.

''Reno.''

The bald male's call rang down, through the air, though by the time it had reached the red head, it seemed like nothing but a quiet annoyance, and not nearly great enough to penetrate his unconscious walls.

''Reno?''

Rude's voice had raised itself noticeably in both volume and intent, though this time, there was definitely more than a hint of concern about his tone.

Only a few seconds followed before a booming call reverberated around the mountain top, with such force that it managed to tremble down to the red head's finger tips, and finally teasing his senses to a state of awaken awareness, ''RENO!''

''Argh...oh shhhit!'' The young Turk stirred and immediately tightened his grip, as he again took note of the rather undesirable drop below, and the lack of supportive rope that would have kept him safe, in place.

''Reno? Are you ok?''

He sighed in relief at the sound of the familiar voice, and took a few steadying breaths before responding, though not altogether convincingly, ''Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just...just a little out of it...''

A distant rustle of soft material on rough metallic could be heard, before Rude called back down, his voice completely lacking in emotion now, as it took an a calm, concentrated edge, ''I'm lowering the wire now.''

True enough, after the passing of a mere few seconds, Reno caught sight of the dark, silver tip of double strengthened wire, which had attached, at its bottom, a hook of cloth, which the red head took to be the foot hold in order to lock him upon the self-made winch.

He quickly made to grab it and entwine himself around its steely structure, before proceeding to give it a sharp, swift tug, signalling quite clearly to his partner his readiness, and soon enough he felt himself slowly, but steadily being hoisted further and further into the masking, wisp-like clouds above.

* * *

Reno emitted a rather over-dramatic huff as his belly flopped up, onto the ledge, after one more stable heave from the bald male, whom now stood beside the sprawled out body of the red head, busily winding the wire-rope back into its once-coiled state.

After the skin upon his face began to grow somewhat numb from its snow buried position, the young Turk finally managed to pull himself up, though it did seem to take him a few moments to regain his balance, as his feet tried to ground themselves into the deep white ice particles, whilst his senses attempted to focus upon his new surroundings.

The ledge was definitely much larger than he had initially believed; it seemed as though a full sized motorway had been carved into the mountain's structure, and yet it looked as though it had been formed naturally, as the paths sides towered higher than reachable, and were tipped with jagged slate spikes, and the ground was far from smooth, as even through the snow covering the red head could feel the bumps and grooves beneath, embedded into the rock.

As his partner begun to mark his way through the snowy mass, Reno began to chuckle, ''I don't suppose you brought any carrots, or coal?''

Rude came to a slow halt and rounded back, with a tilted head, whilst his brow lay furrowed in confusion, though he made a point of not actually airing the obvious query, and instead just made to stare at the red head, until he succumbed to an explanation.

To his credit, it didn't take long, and within moments Reno had begun twirling his fingers, and darting his gaze with a sense of childish nerves, ''You know...for snowmen...''

The bald male narrowed his gaze for no more than a second, before swiftly turning and continuing on his way, and sighing rather patiently, ''Let's just...keep moving.''

Reno hung his head, and started to trudge slowly behind his partner, giving the occasional shiver, and low grumble whenever his feet stubbed against an unseen rock, or a particularly chilly breeze passed by.

_Why can't Shin-Ra ever sent us to a beach...or to a strip club...why does it always been to be perilous, and desolate...and covered in bloody cold snow!..._

The two Turks had only been walking for about ten minutes when the red head noticed he'd begun to fall behind, though with this detachment came an allowance for new, slightly unprofessional ideas to take shape within Reno's mind, and soon a wide smirk had crept across his thin, weather chapped lips.

''Reno, hurry up, we've got to-'' The bald Turk had intended to finish his sentence, but was muted by a rather large, rather well-aimed snowball to the cheek, the skin of which tightened, as his nose scrunched, after the wet ice slid down and fell to the ground with a dull splat, ''Reno!''

The red head stood a few metres back, his arms wrapped around his stomach, as he tried to support his form, whilst it jerked with an unquellable laughter, though he was soon silenced when he, found himself, the victim of a snow formed attack.

''Ergh...'' He emitted a light-hearted growl, as he wiped the icy particles from his face, ''That hit my nose!''

Rude raised a solitary eyebrow, ''I have good aim.''

They stared at one another for a few moments, before a smile graced both their faces, which were now reddened from the cold, and yet white, frozen water particles remained trailed down their cheeks.

The red head gathered up a good amount of softened snow from a nearby slate stump, and grinned widely, ''Pfft! Mine is better!''

Within moments the pair had set off in an avid chase, and all moan-worthy thoughts had seemingly disappeared from either Turk's mind's, though it wasn't allowed to last.

Rude had just made his way through a rather close-knitted rock formation, when he came to a sudden stop, meaning that when the young Turk came to follow him, he ended up crashing straight into his partner's back with a rather painful thump.

He soon propped himself up upon his elbows and shook the various bits of snow from his flame red hair, before looking up at the cause for the jolting stop, ''Woah...'' Reno's mouth fell open in an almost comic suddenness, ''Is this where we're...-''

The bald male nodded slowly, also seemingly affected by the new, awe-inspiring sight, ''Yeah, this was the next...and last direction given.''

Just ahead of them, set deep against the mountain's face, was what seemed to be a cave, but not just any cave; the opening seemed immersed within a thick, black shadow, with anything past a metre into its deapths being shrouded, and its size was immense, though neither Turk could quite understand how it had not been viewable from below.

Reno continued to observe the darkened, ominous area, and soon enough his brow had furrowed, with the wave of recognition that washed over his mind, _What...wait..._

He slowly hoisted himself to his feet; using Rude's sleeved arm as support, before muttering quietly into his shoulder, though the red head appeared to be talking more to himself rather than his dumbfounded partner.

His breath seemed to catch with every word, as his voice came out at no more than a whisper, ''I know this place...I've seen it before...''

He tightened his grip upon the Turk's coated material, ''In my dreams...''

* * *

A/N= Ok, sorry for the wait peeps! I swear my weeks been crazy busy...but anyway I finally got it up!

Thought I'd focus on Reno and Rude's relationship in this, seeing as they have so much going on atm between them, and of course they're the only ones on the mission, so they kinda needed a little bit of development...

This chapter was a little bit lighter than its predecessor, but that's mainly because the next one is gunna be quite dark...so be prepared for that!

Oh and I know, I know there really isn't any Tifa in this...apart from a little mention, but don't worry the mission's climax will be coming very soon, and lots of good brunette action will follow XD


	11. Ch11: Figures in the Dark

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Eleven...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Eleven: Figures in the Dark**

The silence that followed in the statement's wake was one of an eerie stillness; the hardened shields of iced emerald leaves, and cold, grey slate defended their forms from the height-enforced wind with an unfaltering perfection, whilst simultaneously sealing them within their own, muted bubble.

Reno's eyes remained locked upon the black, hollow void which was as seemingly vast as the mountain itself, and yet the cavern's depth was untellable by mere outward observation.

He seemed somewhat unable to turn away, as though his mind believed that the moment his aquamarine gaze became unfocused, something would appear from within that cold, dark space before them and secure his growing fear concerning this familiar sight.

A sudden tremble entered the air as the young Turk released a long-held breath, which had been clinging to his lungs with a heavy tension, whilst his grip upon his partner's shoulder loosened as he took a couple of uneasy steps from the bald male and the cavernous structure.

Rude's brow furrowed gently, as the red head's words finally began to take effect, though his confusion was only increased when he made to turn and caught the look upon his partner's usually smirking face, "Reno?"

A few seconds slipped by, before he received a response, though it was somewhat spoken with a glint of apprehension, "We have to go in there…don't we?"

The bald male emitted a quiet sigh, and gave a short, slow nod, which in turn received a rather drawn-out moan from the red head, whom then proceeded to bury his contorted features within his cupped hands.

"What's the matter?" Rude's brow cocked in a confused amusement, "I didn't know you were afraid of the dark…"

Reno sneered in mock amusement, though showed no signs of real enjoyment, "It's not the dark…" he took a cautious step back, towards the familiar darkness, "It's what's _**in**_ the dark that worries me…"

An uncomfortable silence settled once again, though this time both males seemed somewhat encased within their own thoughts; one observing his object of fear, whilst the other observed the his partner's dread-lined form.

After the passing of a mere few minutes, the bald male made to shift slightly, before directing himself towards the new-found passage, "Come on."

The red head's facial muscles contorted in a pained, yet resolute desperation, "No."

Rude raised his hand and rubbed it with a shaky force across his unlined forehead, "Reno…we've been ordered to-"

The young Turk's form stiffened, "I know!...I know…but it's just…" his aquamarine gaze narrowed, as his voice melted away to no more than a hushed mutter "…something's not right about this."

The bald Turk sighed, as he lifted one solitary eyebrow, "What's wrong with it exactly?"

"It's all too familiar…in the bad way."

Although the red head's display of discomfort was pure and unshaken, his partner seemed somewhat less inclined to share his belief, as his tone aired as one of tired dubiousness, "I've told you before…your dreams are just exactly that…_**dreams**_...they don't mean that-"

The frustration within him was undoubted, "But they're not just dreams! I know…I know you don't believe me…and I know you think I'm overreacting, but…I know what my senses are telling me, and every inch of my body is screaming at the sight of that thing!"

His cheeks had reddened with the forced energy behind his outburst, and soon his breath was puffing out from between his thin lips like ghosting wisps.

Although his words had been spoken with such steadfast feeling, Rude still seemed rather unable to agree with their intent, "It's just a natural reaction…I mean…It's not exactly inviting but-"

The young Turk's arms flung up to run through his own, flame red spikes, "It's a bloody death trap!"

"Reno! We're going in." The bald male's stained tone came coupled with a few, exasperated breaths.

A silence was created for the third time within the course of a mere ten minutes, though this one seemed somewhat less uneasy, and rather more calmed.

Neither decided to meet the other's gaze, though the thoughts of each were still directed upon the unresolved issue which had arisen with such firm resolution.

The bald Turk's brow contorted for a split second, as though some clarity had surfaced within his mind, and soon enough he managed to raise his line of sight to match the red head's with an firm, yet quiet perfection, "And that's an order."

Reno's jaw clenched, the action almost appearing painful in its tightness, though as the seconds passed, it seemed to relax in a willed defeat, and yet his tone was one of forced restraint, "Fine."

He made to tug at the front of his t-shirt, forcing the collar to stiffen, before walking up, and past his partner, to whom he muttered, though his quietness and position reflected the words were meant for himself, rather than Rude.

''I know I'm right about this…''

* * *

The small, yellowish tint that glowed weakly from the set of strap torches reflected unnaturally off the cold, grey slate sides which served as the cave's never-ending lining.

Although their travel-fashioned lights were enough to mark the short distance proceeding their own steps, the Turks still remained within a cloak of relative darkness; the cave's interior was just as shadowed as it had appeared from the snow surrounded entrance, leaving most details of the cold, rocked-area down to their own imaginative deliberation.

A series of dulled taps echoed pathetically about the void-like space, as the found their way uneasily upon the unsmoothed ground, which raised and clashed at almost every conceivable point; their footsteps being too small an interference to be allowed any such echo that might reveal the size of the cavernous structure.

The air was not close, and yet its density seemed somewhat uncomfortable; occasionally a chilling brush would prickle against the more defined contours of his face, whilst his outward breath rumbled with a heavy warm, causing the atmosphere to clash in a most dissettling fashion.

Every few minutes an array of irritatingly similar droplets would patter down upon the smooth, hard floor; the liquid's presence creating a sense of dampness, and weed-like life, as patches of poor, unflourished moss could be felt under foot.

These, rather slippery items of darkened green foliage were the cause of many an unstable step concerning the pair of wary travellers, and although neither had yet taken a descent due to the slippery annoyances, it only took the red head one, single second of miss-directed attention to allow himself to fall prey to a particularly icy mound of furry growths.

His scrawny backside hit the smooth, slate ground with a jarring thump, with vibrated painfully along his tired muscles.

A groan sounded from Reno as he hung his head in open exasperation, "Oh for-"

His curse was halted when the familiar hand of his partner came into view, as he outstretched it in assistance.

The red head took it with a hint of hesitant aggravation; his mind still slightly unwillingly to forgive and forget.

After taking a moment to brush off his lightly dirtied form, the young Turk gave a short nod of gratitude towards Rude, whom responded with a simple, steady-toned, though rather unneeded; "Be careful."

Reno rolled his eyes, before evaluating his uneven pathway once again, "So, what exactly are we looking for in here anyway?"

His partner's face seemed to contort in consideration, though a moment later it was once again relaxed, which in turn forced a really quite disgruntled sigh from the younger Turk, "Oh, now I remember…I'm not trustworthy enough am I..."

The tone used along with his words seemed to stir something within the bald male, whose brow furrowed with a light hint of regret, "Reno…-"

The red head shot his partner a look, which neither appeared harsh or disapproving, but rather shared in the hurtful damage which had been created around them both.

Just as he was about to turn away and continue upon the darkened path, Reno's pale, chilled ears picked up upon a familiar, low, deep-voice which was being quite awkwardly emitted from the bald male.

"There's some artefact…"

Rude's fingers clenched nervously, and his pace quickened, as he passed by his red headed partner, whom raised an eyebrow in curious suspicion, "Artefact?"

The bald male took in a deep, settling breath, "I believe it to be connected to Shin-Ra…" his eyes flicked down for a moment, as a stroke of doubt at his emission flashed over him, though with a lighter, outward breath, he continued, "I know it was a big deal a while back…"

Reno's brow raised in cautious surprise, though soon enough it lowered again, and his eyes narrowed, with a flare of anger burning behind their aquamarine shade, "What do they want to go digging up the past for?"

His partner's face appeared troubled, but remained steady, "Because…" he took a moment to evaluate his next step, before muttering softly, "…if they don't, others might."

* * *

The red head groaned inwardly as his soles gave another dull, throbbing ache; the hardened, over-worked skin finally beginning to wane with the constant pressure, and unforgiving terrain it was being forced upon.

Instinctively he made to pull the sleeve jacket from his wrist, so as to view a non-existent time piece, and when his aquamarine gaze was met with nothing by pale, lightly-hair dusted skin, a sudden wave of disoriented drowsiness washed over him, "How are we meant to know if it's day or night in here?"

His inquiry might have seemed to most as rather more of a rhetorical complaint than an actual question, but his tone did possess something likeable to real desperation, though this appeared to go unnoticed, or perhaps ignored by his bald partner.

They were so far within the cavernous structure now, that if they chose to turn back around, neither he, nor Rude would be able to see the small beckon of light, which would have been emitted from the reflective snowy entrance.

A few minutes passed in silence, as the red head eyed his partner in thought, and soon enough a smirk began to twitch at the corners of his thin lips.

Reno stretched his arms out above him, before clasping them upon his head, and emitting a rather over-played yawn; both actions intently created to draw the Turk's attention, and it worked.

His form came to a halt, with a sigh, and after scowling the viewable area, the bald male released a sigh of defeat and turned to the red head, whom was looking rather pleased with himself, "We'll camp here."

Within moments Reno had removed the various straps that were draped around him, so as to release the heavier bags, and stretched his tense-burdened muscles out once again, before plonking himself down upon one of the smoother slates of rock flooring, taking care to choose one not effected by the rare trickles of water, whose source still went unknown.

As the red head relaxed, his partner made to set up two rather thin, blanket-like sleeping bags, "I'm not sure how much further we have to go, but…by the looks of this place it could be a while…"

Reno nodded absent-mindedly, as his eyelids flickered with drowsiness, "Figures…"

The pair remained in silence for sometime, as the bald male spent his energies taking down notes and marking coded maps within the poorly lit space, whilst the younger chose to indulge in rather more restful activities.

After the quiet passing of an estimated ten minutes, a rustling sounded from the still-working Turk, as he made to put the various papers back to their safer confines, before removing his coat to form a somewhat comfortable pillow and reclining upon the slightly raised, and rather chilled flooring.

"So, tell me…"

Rude's deep tone vibrated softly, but was still powerful enough to rouse the sleepy red head, and bring his attention around to his partner, whom was staring blankly at the ceiling.

"…how long have you been in love with her?"

Reno's mouth dropped open, whilst his eyes narrowed with the furrowing of his brow; the whole look rather likeable to a somewhat mystified confusion.

For a moment it seemed as though he was working through various attempts at denial, but eventually, after a long process of mental deliberation, he came out with a rather lazy shrug, coupled with a simple, drawling; "I don't know."

The bald Turk shifted slightly as he fought to find a comfortable position, "When are you going to tell her?"

Reno once again, shrugged, "I don't know."

His partner sighed quietly, before allowing his eyes to drift over to the red head, "What's your favourite colour?"

"I don't know."

Rude hoisted himself up upon his elbows, his eyes narrowing in disbelieving annoyance, "Is that all you're going to say?" The red head went to open his mouth, though he was halted by the bald whom added with a hint of amusement; "And don't say, 'I don't know'."

Reno mouth fell shut in defeat, but after a moment spent sulking, his own eyes narrowed, and he turned to his partner, "Why are you so interested in my personal life anyway?"

"Because, I've never known you like this."

His facial skin wrinkled as he scrunched his expression in confusion, "Huh?"

"You're becoming…" Rude paused, as though scepticism had halted the word he finally managed to breathe out, "…mature"

Reno looked as if he'd just been accused of wearing a wig, "Don't ever say that again!"

His partner seemed to find his outrage rather entertaining, and soon a smirk was hinting at the corners of his usually set lips, "Anyway, you stabbed me…I think I deserve something in return."

The younger Turk crossed his arms, and raised a tired eyebrow, "You're gunna use this whole 'stabbing' thing a lot aren't you?"

Rude grinned smugly, "Yes."

"Well, I hope it gets infected!" He stuck out his tongue in a rather childish fashion, before settling back down on the high-slopped rock, with an air of dramatic performance.

Only the briefest of moments passed, before he started up again, and this time he was the one holding an expression of smugness, though his tone was certainly displaying something more akin to anger, "Anyway, you've been lying to me…don't think I've suddenly forgotten about that…"

Rude's face darkened, and he emitted a deep, fallen sigh, "I told you…I'm sorry, but it was an order."

The younger male raised an eyebrow disapprovingly, "You always were one for following the rules..." He started tapping his fingertips along the cold, almost frozen cave floor, "…and here I was, thinking I'd had an impression on you..." a slight pause passed, before he added in a strangely whimsical tone, "We need to spend more time together…in a bar."

His partner's brow rose in repressed amusement, "A bar called 'Seventh Heaven'?"

Reno's solitary brow rose once again, "Shut up."

* * *

A soft rumbling sounded from the sleeping Turk's throat with perfect precision, every few passing seconds, as his form rested with a comfortable stillness upon the flat, smooth surface of his chosen portion of rock.

Rude had fallen off within the first thirty minutes proceeding their rather brief conversation, and had been deep in the land of peaceful dreaming ever since, leaving his red head partner to lay awake, and consciously alone in the dark, silence of the cave, with only the odd rustle and patterned snoring to keep him company.

Anyone, whom had been observing the pair during their recent travels within the mountains side, would have probably wagered large amounts of Gil upon the younger Turk being the first to drop off, though seemingly the current environment, in which he found himself in, was playing too unsettlingly upon his sensory system.

It was the quiet atmosphere which he found most troubling; true enough, occasionally he would be treated to the echo of a falling grain-like rock, or the rare, light splash from the trickling water which lined various panels of the cavernous structure, but for the most, all that played was a dead, hollow silence, which was almost deafening in its dull, heavy completeness.

He ran his fingers along a neighbouring section of the cave floor; the surface being both smooth, and yet raised compared to his own, chosen spot. It would have been somewhat correct to say he found the action to have a smoothing effect, though it still wasn't enough to quell the unnerved butterflies which fluttered uncomfortably within his rather empty stomach.

His other set of fingers lay nestled against the lining of his pocket, and around the small, metallic, yet mainly plastic constructed device which had neither been used nor looked at for quite some time.

Although his gaze was currently fixed upon an unmarked shadow, his mind was rather more interested in the mobile item; he knew it wouldn't have a signal, and he knew there was nothing much he could do with it now, but he had, rather longingly, felt an urge to do something, that he found both pointless and baffling, with it.

A few moments passed before he emitted a deep sigh, and took out the piece of communication equipment with a hint of annoyance; his fingers quickly working to flip open the screen and scroll through the various names held within his address book.

And there it was. Tifa Lockhart. Illuminated in pale, white lettering, that seemed so dreary, and yet the name itself brightened up the display immediately.

The red head smiled subconsciously as his gaze studied every letter, every curve, and every perfectly shaped syllable.

It might have appeared strange to some; that he found such joy in just a mere name, saved upon a device which held many, much more important lines of figures and letters, but it was her name, and it made him happy to see it.

It was almost like looking at a photo; it gave the same rush of nostalgia and emotion that was held concerning its subject, and yet it also made it seem as if they were somehow there, with the viewer.

He was rather distressingly shaken from his emotive thoughts by a flash of crimson red, which was caught by the corner of his eye.

It only appeared for a moment, and though one might have originally assumed it to be his own, flame shaded hair falling down within his line of vision, the young Turk was utterly positive the obstruction was not of his own causing.

His stomach clenched painfully, whilst his aquamarine eyes widened in alarm, but although he scanned the area quite thoroughly, there was nothing to be seen, other than the silver glint of slate, and the deep, shadowed darkness which followed.

Reno's eyes remained fixed upon the blackness, as his hand quietly snapped the hand-held device shut, and replaced it within his pocket, after which he proceeded to slowly curl his form, before lifting himself up, noting to grab his blanket-used coat on the way.

He stood quite still for a moment, before pulling the item of clothing back upon his form, and securing the small, travel sized light so it shone with all the pale brightness it could muster.

The young Turk's eyes narrowed searchingly, as he begun to step forwards into the direction of the strange, unknown inhabitant, which had so purposefully entered into his attention; the action being entirely impulsive, as he neither thought, nor seemed to care about the loss of his current location his little hunt would bring, or the dangerous field he could be walking straight into.

Though as he passed from the bleakly lit appear of their camp, into the black, void like space beyond, he did not notice the stir in his partner's form, nor the following grunt, which came with the opening of Rude's bleary gaze, the awakening soon being proceeded by a furrowing of the brow, and the quiet mouthing of; "Reno?"

* * *

Reno's soles splashed gently upon the lightly puddle floor, which reflected eerily with the glow being emitted from his coat held-light.

He had no idea where he was heading, with no clear or distinctive markings available to guide him, and yet he just seemed to know the direction in which he was going was undoubtedly the right one,

Nothing had of yet, been spotted within his path, though with every step he took, the young Turk caught wisps of outwards breaths, that were not of his own causing, though their maker was as elusive as ever, as if he, she, or it was playing some play of hide and seek, or cat and mouse with the blindly-following male.

The ground gave a sudden drop in height, as Reno found himself standing within a rather lowered pit, which in itself appeared somewhat likeable to a battle arena; with its walls formed perfectly around the base, and the shape easily able to be divided for the two, opposing sides.

He scanned the area several times, only to find it empty, though as he proceeded to travel than little bit more towards the 'ring's' centre, the young Turk's eyes faltered, as if a candle had been held beside them, temporarily blocking their view, and making everything else seem darker than ever.

The light passed as suddenly as it has arisen, though when it did disappear, it left in its stead, the hazy form of the leather cloaked red head, whom stood mere metres from the Turk; hands held perfectly still by its side, and head lowered as if in a dormant state.

Reno observed the figure for a moment, but found no will to approach; the serious threat held in the situation suddenly becoming fully realised within his mind.

He had been so enthralled in the strange, yet familiar appearance, that he had not noticed the series of splashes that had sounded as his bald partner came running up behind him; his form soon following to thump into Reno's own with a gentle, yet agitated force.

His voice had lost all means of control, or restraint, as it belted out with both anger, and infuriated fear, "Reno, what are you doing?"

"Rude-"

He was cut of immediately, or rather the older male just continued, seemingly too lost within his own maddened concerns to notice anything, "You can't just walk off like that! Have you got no sense in-"

The young Turk's head snapped round in frustration, as his hand whipped at his partner's shoulder, "Rude, shut up!"

The sudden command seemed to snap the bald male out of his rant, and back into the very close reality, as his gaze finally took note of the standing, unknown form.

His brow furrowed, and yet his eyes appeared to widen, "What is that?"

"I told you…" Reno's voice shook, as his tone sounded out with a lightness that only be produced by an intense presence of panic, "I told you we shouldn't have come here."

Rude opened his mouth to comment, though no words were sounded, and soon enough the younger Turk aired another, fear-filled statement, "I've seen it before…in the wood…"

This appeared to catch the bald male's interest, as his face creased in a desperate curiosity, "What-…you mean the ghost?"

"It's not a ghost…"

The older male allowed his gaze to fall down the unknown's form, "What is it?"

"Something…else."

They remained rooted to the spot for more than a minute, before Rude went for the gun which lay concealed behind his coat.

He lifted it slowly to the figures hidden temple, "We are Turks in the employ of the Shin-Ra Company, and we demand you relinquish any weapons, and proceed to surrender yourself to us."

The red headed form began to twitch, as an array of deep, malevolent chuckles bellowed from its unseen mouth.

Rude's brow furrowed in anger; the mocking causing his fear to transform and become something entirely more unstable.

He took a step forwards, and pressed the gun firmly into the head of brightly shaded locks, though as he did so, Reno seemed to realise just what was about to happen to both him, and his partner, but before he should even attempt to warn him with something akin to; "It's a trick!" the red headed figure made one swift motion, and knocked the bald male straight across the battle arena and into the cave's hard, slate grey wall, which soon was lined with a trail of dark, crimson blood, and all without even lifting its head.

Reno's first impulse was to rush to his partner's aid, but both fear and curiosity rooted him to the spot.

He went to pull his own gun, but decided otherwise, and instead stood as still as possible, "Who-what the hell are you?"

The figure began to laugh once again, though this time it was not the deep, nasty one which had been produced upon Rude's attempt; it was light, soft, loving, and yet with a hint of playful desire, but most noticeably, it was feminine.

He had heard that laugh a million times before.

And it killed him to hear it being made by this thing.

Reno's eyes flashed dangerously, "Why do you keep doing that?"

He shook his head in defiance as the laughter continued, and his body instinctively took a few steps away from the form which was causing his mental state to unwind so furiously, "You're not her."

The young Turk squeezed his eyes shut as the familiar tone began to echo around him, and the moment his aquamarine eyes were lidded, he felt a sudden blow to his stomach, and the sound of one, large, powerful ripe sounded from his within him.

A warm, weighted gush rippled upon his skin, as his body crashed to the floor, and as Reno's breathing slowed to a perilous faintness, he worded silently, "You're just a nightmare."

* * *

A/N= Oh my Shin-Ra, I am soooo sorry this took so long to get out! I honestly thought it would be out about a week ago…but my computer kept going funny, and I kept feeling really exhausted like…every few hours! So yeah… sorry about that…

But don't fear, because the next chapter will be out before the end of next week! XD

So, anyway, on to the actual chapter…

I know that, for the second time, there isn't a whole lot of RenoxTifa action in this, but it just happened to go like that, and plot wise, she wasn't really able to centre in this chapter.

I know the end section might have confused some people, and to be honest…it was meant to! But it is important plot wise, and it will play a big part in the sequel so yeah…it will make sense…eventually!


	12. Ch12: Waking to Reality

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Twelve...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Twelve: Waking to Reality**

"_Rude…"_

_The young male's eyes flickered open, though his vision appeared somewhat hazy; the grey, slate rock walls melted seamlessly into the cold floor, whilst his own, outstretched fingers twitched softly against the scene._

_His mind was racing and yet tangled, with the previous events still fresh and ringing painfully upon his senses. _

_What had happened, and what was going to happen now?_

_How long had he been lying there for?_

_All sense of time seemed to have faded away, leaving only a plain realisation. _

_They were alone, and disabled._

_Reno did not even know what kind of condition his partner was in. He didn't even know if he was alive._

"_Ru-" _

_His second call attempt ended short with a wet, bloodied cough which erupted from his throat with a rough groan._

_His body was failing. _

_It had been broken from the inside, and he could feel it._

_Every nerve had been stripped, with every end feeling as though it was slowly being consumed by a glowing, hot ember. _

_An array of warmed, salted tears spilled from his aquamarine gaze, and prickled rather sadly across his skin._

_Though not due to the constant pain, but though the hopelessness of the situation. _

_He couldn't move, he couldn't see, he couldn't hear, and soon enough he wouldn't be able to speak. _

"_Pathetic…" _

_The word practically grunted its way from the young Turk's lips._

_It really was pathetic. Him, Reno of the Turks was lying, beaten and broken upon a lone cave floor, while his partner crippled somewhere close, and all down to his own stupidity._

_He had been bold once, cocky, and oh so cool, his feelings completely safe, with his quick, superior wit and EMR as his weapon. _

_But now, everything was different. He'd let himself be weakened. He'd let himself be weakened by her. _

_Maybe it was her, maybe she was the problem. _

"_No."_

_His voice emerged at no more than a whisper. _

"_No…she's not…"_

_It couldn't be, surely. She was his salvation, his key to becoming a better man._

_But what did that mean, really? Would he be so much greater through giving in to his feelings, or would he just be another pathetic idiot?_

_That's what he'd always assumed, that the emotional of nature were feeble, weak, vulnerable, and just that little bit stupid._

_He'd never intended to become one of them. He was always going to be 'Reno of the Turk'; dangerous, cunning, deceptive, witty, and confident, without any ties or attachments._

_Maybe he should've stayed that way._

_A low growl rumbled within the depths of his throat. _

_These weren't his thoughts. _

_This mass of confusion and anger was someone's…something's idea of a game._

_He was being played with. Deceived. Tricked. Manipulated. _

_A dark, disturbing laugh echoed around the cavernous space with a painful dullness, causing the young male to twitch uneasily._

"_What…"_

_Reno's unsteady gaze attempted once again to focus, though the figure from which the disturbance came was nowhere in sight._

_He tried rather unsuccessfully to lift his throbbing head; his weakened state causing his whole cranium to come under a relentless attack from an array of dull pangs._

_Within moments the slight tension he had created in his neck in order to rise, disappeared, thus allowing his head to fall back down upon the rock with a numbing sharpness. _

_After what seemed like a decade of silence, a serious of hurried stop steps clacked upon the rock, followed soon after by a light, familiar voice that sounded close to his own, deathly-still form._

"_Sir, he's over here."_

_A soft, presumably feminine hand brush across his forehead. _

"_Reno…"_

_Her tone was stern, and cold, and yet still seemed sincere in its concern, as though the soft, caring side of her was battling against the restraints that what been forged through some terrible experience. _

_A steady pair of foot steps approached now, their soles, from what Reno's frazzled sense could tell, where notably less heeled. _

"_Elena, how does he look?"_

_Their was a short pause before the young female answered, though this time she made a point to keep all emotion from her statement. _

"_Not good Sir."_

_The raven haired Turk superior emitted a long, deep sigh._

"_What happened here…?"_

_The question seemed to be aired to no one, and yet it was one that quite clearly needed an answer. _

_The female shifted slightly;, noted by Reno by the rustle of her suit. _

"_Is Rude still-"_

"_Alive? Yes...but only just."_

_Another short paused sounded out between them, interrupted only by the red head's rugged breathing. _

_After a few moments, the young female started up again, her voice quiet and yet unfazed; complete and to the point._

"_Do you think he'll recover?"_

_Tseng emitted a disinterested sigh as he spoke._

"_I don't know…we don't even know what was done to him… to either of them."_

_If Reno had been able to, he might have knocked his superior out. _

_How could he be so uncaring?_

_True they were Turks, but they were once something of a family, they looked out for each other._

_But then, everything had changed, up at the northern crater. With the remnants._

_The woman stroked another strand of Reno's blood soaked locks away from his face, with something of a saddened disposition. _

_Tseng grunted with what the red head took to be displeased amusement. _

"_Don't pity them Elena…"_

_Reno's body twitched, as he felt his mind become heavier and heavier by the second, and soon enough his conscious state was something past, though before the darkness completely took hold, he heard his superior utter the rest. _

"…_it's probably their own fault."_

Reno's eye lids creased, as his facial muscles clenched, and soon they fluttered open, to reveal his aquamarine gaze to the organised whiteness around him.

His mind fell blank and yet he still possessed so many confusing thoughts.

He attempted to perform some sort of motion with her hand, but only managed a slight twitching in his fingertips.

His head refused to move out of exhaustion, but his senses were still allowed to work.

Although hard, plastic tubes had been trailed up his nostrils, filling his lungs with a cold, steady rush of air, part of him was still able to smell something, something familiar.

It was so calming, and somehow meaningful to him, and yet he couldn't figure out how, or why.

He took another breath, and allowed the scent to circulate within him, before the drowsiness set in once again, bringing his lids down, to a gentle close.

* * *

The days pasted by so quickly now, that they appeared like mere moments to the red head.

At least he assumed they were days, after all he was kept in a constant state of near unconsciousness, with the white blare from artificially lighting, and the quiet, undistinguishable murmurings of pristine nurses as his only comfort.

He knew where he was, well at least to some extent; he'd been brought to one of Shin-Ra's medical facilities, and from the glimpses he'd caught of the employees' uniforms, he was back in Edge.

That little fact alone brightened his thoughts.

He was home.

Though how he had gotten there, and what on earth had happened to him was still something of a mystery.

For a moment there, in that darkened place, he had thought that perhaps he might have died, but of course, that would have been far too simple.

His body felt numb, and from the amount of painkilling drugs they insisted on pumping into his system every other hour, it was probably a state he should wish to remain in.

He didn't have the strength, or ability, as of yet, to lift his own head, and take view of the body he was unable to move.

Part of him thought it for the best. Though being left to imagine what sort of state he could be in was something dangerously close to mental torture.

His dreams appeared little more than hazy delusions, with every image and word so clear and yet not able to make sense.

The events surrounding the mission had played a starring role in his 'hallucinations'.

Brief glances of mountain sides, and emerald groves flittered about as backdrops for the whispered snippets of conversation, snatched from unmarked points along their journey, though one moment did appear more vivid than the rest.

That last fleeting moment, as Rude fell slumped against the cave's cold, smooth floor, with a lifeless thud.

He didn't know what had happened then, and he had not yet been enlightened since his arrival at the hospital.

His partner could have been long since buried, or lying a few beds away from his own.

He did not know.

The young, bedridden Turk still wasn't, even now, sure about how his own fate had played out.

How had he gotten out of that place, and how had he come to be here?

Shin-Ra must have found them, but how? Neither could have sent out a signal, and the help could not have arrived so soon as to find them alive surely?

It almost made him angry, their rescue being actioned so quickly; if it had been so easy for them to be found and retrieved, why hadn't Shin-Ra displayed the same swiftness in the missions objective.

Everything could have been handled so easily, it almost seemed stupid that both he and Rude had gone to such trouble to venture there, when, in fact, there wasn't really a need.

But, again, Reno knew better than to voice these concerns out loud, that kind of talk could get him into the sort of trouble that, even he, wasn't keen on facing.

* * *

The raven haired male stood quite still, his body completely in line with the side of the railed hospital bed, and beside him stood the young suited blonde, though her composure appeared to lack the same, stern quality.

Reno had been listening quietly, but intently for the past ten minutes, whilst his superior drawled a load of information that, although somewhat important, didn't interest him in the slightest.

"…and you'll have slight memory loss.''

The young red head smirked slightly at that.

"Yeah I'd already gathered that…"

Tseng didn't seem to appreciate the male's 'amusement' at the comment, and narrowed his eyes warningly.

"What about Rude?"

Reno's inquiry rang in the air for some time before being answered.

The raven haired male remained unmoved, as Elena began to answer.

"He's..."

Her voice wavered ever so slightly, as she tried to regain control of the emotion that was threatening to be released.

"...in a stable condition."

Her gaze, which had been fixed upon the bed-sheet, lowered swiftly, and began taking interest in the polished surface of her superior's shoes.

Tseng on the other hand appeared to be hinting at a disconcerting glare, as if to say 'no thanks to you'.

Reno swallowed; his throat rapidly drying out with every passing second.

"What does that mean?"

The raven haired male raised his brow with a simple, yet complete supremacy, whilst his tone conveyed his obvious disappointment in its meaning.

"He's in a coma."

The red head took a deep breath as he processed this new information; his partner was in a state of comatose, but he was alive.

After a few moments, and a little inner coxing, Reno's brow cocked, and his eyes narrowed with a hint of confused curiosity, as he decided to finally ask the question that he'd wanted an answer to for some time now.

"What the hell happened?"

Tseng shrugged.

"We don't know."

Reno's gaze lowered for a brief moment, before it shot back up to meet, once again, with his superior's

"Did you get it? Whatever it was, that you sent us up there to get?"

What happened next disturbed the red head more than he liked; for the swiftest of moments Elena and Tseng appeared to share a nervous, if controlled glance, both having something rather too knowing held within their gaze.

The motion was over within the blink of an eye, but he'd still managed to catch it.

Tseng spoke sharply.

"That's really none of your concern anymore."

He took in a deep, loud breath, before beginning to head towards the doorway.

"There are some forms we need you to sign."

"Elena will help you with them."

Reno eyed the young blonde with an intent, narrowed gaze.

"Elena."

His tone was hushed, quiet, and edged with a certain deepness.

The female's gaze stayed fixed upon the papers within her grasp.

"Yes?"

"Has…"

His fingers began to trace unmarked patterns upon the bed-sheet.

"…has Tifa come to see me? I mean, whilst I was-"

"She was never here."

A warm, somewhat comforting smile began to form upon the young blonde's face, but it soon vanished.

Instead she emitted a firm cough, along with a rather unfelt explanation; every syllable aching with s Tseng-like sternness.

"…She's not allowed inside the facility Reno, Shin-Ra policy."

Reno's brow furrowed.

"Oh…"

He averted his gaze for a moment, as he lost himself in thought.

"I could have sworn…"

A slight silence passed, before he let out a light sigh, though his tone still seemed somewhat unconvinced.

"…never mind."

"She has been informed of your situation."

The young male's gaze lifted instantly, along with a slight brightening of the eyes.

"I want to go see her."

This time it was Elena's turn to lower her brow.

"You can't."

Her tone softened, and yet remained somewhat questioning.

"You're too weak…and your condition is hardly-"

"What? What do you mean?"

Reno's frown was more out of unfounded alarm than anger.

"Well, you're disabled Reno…"

The young female's tone darken, as the mass of confusion and disbelief at her colleague's unawareness of what she, herself, was now having to explain.

"…from your waist down…surely the doctors told-"

"No."

Reno's eyes were fixed steadfastly upon the wall opposite him.

"They didn't."

A slightly rusty, though unforced chuckle rumbled from the male; he'd had no idea, he'd just thought they'd doped him up to the point of numbness.

"It might not be permanent."

Elena sighed.

"You'll just have to give it time."

She took out one of the papers she'd been sorting, and slide a pen from her top pocket, before handing them out towards him.

"Sign this."

* * *

Something metallic clattered down by the far end of the corridor that lay along side the young Turk's hospital room.

The sound received no response from the red head, whom had remained quite awake since the lights had been dimmed so many hours earlier.

He didn't feel tired; after all, he'd been spending so much of his daylight hours confined to his room, and to his bed.

He didn't feel ill; his body had been dosed so highly that it no longer felt like his nerves were on fire, and, of course, his lower half had stayed free of feeling without the use of drugs.

His mind wasn't even racing, if anything, it was rather calm; after spending so much him worrying and attempting to decipher each and every little action he had made over the past few weeks, Reno had exhausted himself.

The young male emitted a long held breath, allowing his fingers to clutch tightly at the bed's sides, as he struggled to hoist himself up.

By the time he'd managed to sit up, and pull his unfelt legs around, his heart was beating almost painfully against his ribcage, and his upper muscles seemed to twitch in protest.

A wheelchair stood ready, beside him; it's thin, leather seat, and cold, metallic frame seemed to ooze weakness, and the thought that he might have to spend some time within its confines made him feel so very hollow.

The contraption creaked lightly as he thumped his uneasy body down upon it.

He'd made the trip to the bathroom a few times now by himself, and although it was difficult and tiring, he couldn't stand being taken by a nurse like some kind of invalid.

After managing to direct himself over, and through the doorway, which in itself was rather ill-designed for wheelchair users, Reno slowly made to travel down the grey, dull-lit corridor.

He did have his own toilet within his room, but it was crammed, and had the distinct air of being for someone so much older than himself; he disliked it.

Instead he was heading towards a public set of facilities that lay between his ward and the one neighbouring it; this one appealing to him so much more than his own.

His flame red locks bounced lightly as he thrust his shoulder down with a push upon the wheels, though as he made to turn into his said destination, his head gave a sharp jolt, and his chair came to an abrupt halt, as his aquamarine gaze caught a glimpse of something he'd been imagining since he woke up in his white, dull room.

Rude. There he was. His form outstretched with a perfect stillness upon one of the beds, his cubicle separate from the rest, though there was clearly no danger of him being 'disturbed' from his slumber, with the amount of tubes and attachments coming from him.

Life support some might call it. The machine beside him beeped systematically with every open and close of the aerated tube threaded through his nostrils.

It looked so peaceful, so easy, so simple, and some part of Reno couldn't help but wish he was in the same state.

Rude was able to hide, he didn't have to face the reality around him.

He was lucky.

* * *

The young Turk's head lay nestled within the white, soft folds of the pillow, which stood, propped up, against the wall behind his bed.

His body, although now positioned differently, seemed to remain, quite stationary, as though he had been manipulated like some sort of doll.

The small, flat screen television that hung upon the opposite wall flashed brightly with some incessant run of advertisements, each one just as irritatingly cheerful as the last, though when his Turk Boss proceeded to enter unannounced, it offered little relief.

Reno's aquamarine gaze flickered over to the raven haired male, though he made sure not to make eye contact.

"Sir."

As his superior glided over to his bedside, the young male couldn't help but narrow his eyes, as he came to notice the lacking presence of a certain female.

"Where's Elena?"

Tseng's own hard gaze remained set upon the plain, undecorated wall which lay opposite the door, though his tone was placed directly and sternly at the patient.

"She's busy sorting out your mess."

The words, although spoken without so much of a hint of emotion, still seemed able to silence all thoughts of argumentative reprisal within the red head.

A few moments passed, whilst the raven haired male slowly made his way around to the end of the bed, before beginning to absentmindedly flick threw the clipboard-papers.

"I've come to inform you that you'll be free to leave."

Reno's brow rose slowly as the confusion set in.

"What?"

Tseng appeared to take little notice of the male's reaction, and instead carried on rolling out commands.

"You are to stay at your apartment for the rest of the week…full recovery may take sometime…"

A short silence sounded as the older male took in a long, weighted breath.

"…and there are still things we need to sort out."

The red head twitched slightly, with his brow furrowing soon after.

"'We' Sir?"

Tseng placed the clipboard back in its metallic holder with a careful precision.

"The company."

Reno's throat clenched tightly, as a slow swallow passed down it. His gaze fell set upon his own, motionless feet, as his mind became prepared for the inevitable.

"You screwed up Reno, and although Shin-Ra may not be what it once was…it still has its standards…and the President is not about to forgive failure."

* * *

"Shit!"

The red head clasped one of his hands in the other, and rubbed it softly.

After spending a good part of the last hour rather slowly hoisting himself and his wheelchair up through a mass of stairwells and littered hallways, Reno had not only exhausted himself, but had been left with an array of rubber-burn marks upon his well-used palms.

It would have been somewhat untrue to say there had been no-one around to help him with his upward journey, in fact, many a resident had crossed paths with his own, and although he was not completely against asking for assistance, their reactions seemed to erase any possibility of it.

It wasn't so much that they said anything, I mean he may have been injured, but he was still a Turk, and that was enough to keep most people silent, but then, there sound wasn't always needed.

A couple sneered to the point of smirking, a few of the more aged neighbours whispered to each other with an annoying sense of interested amusement, whilst a group of children hurried past with an unmistakable glint of fear within their eyes, and yet there was something else, just the slightest amount, from all of them; pity.

It confused him.

He hated the sap he was turning into; it used to be so much easier, it all used to be so simple, so straightforward.

When did it change? When did he change?

Reno emitted an aggravated grunt, as he fumbled about within his jacket pocket for the small metallic key, which would allow him to once again, into his home.

"Ah ha!"

The smile that curled at the corners of the young male's lips was, albeit small, filled with a proud delight.

Within moments he had the item placed securely within its designed lock, and was busily attempting to force a turn from it, though the whole action was soon proven to be unnecessary, as a bright click sounded from the other side, and the door was drawn to a full opening, to reveal someone rather unexpected, and maybe just the slightest bit unwanted at the present time.

The young female gazed down at him, through crimson-tinted eyes.

"Hello."

* * *

A/N= Oh my, I am so sorry for how long things took me to actually get up! Believe me I'm actually embarrassed! I've had the most terrible writer's block now for the past week, and not only that, but there was a whole heap of problems that were dumped on me at the weekend that have been troubling me all week! So my concentration was been a bit lacklustre.

Anyways onto the chapter!

He's back! In Edge! I know there's still a lot that I've left unexplained, but there's time for that, plus its all part of something bigger that'll be explored further in the sequel.

I wanted to show hints of the aftermath of what had happened, but still leave exactly what Shin-Ra did/are doing unseen, because obviously, this is somewhat Reno's story, so he wouldn't know.

Also the part at the beginning isn't meant to be showing what happened to him after the end of the last chapter, but rather, what he dreamed/believed to have happened, so parts are somewhat hazy.

Oh and I will try my very best to get the new update up a lot sooner!


	13. Ch13: The Woman and The Cripple

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Thirteen...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Thirteen: The Woman and The Cripple**

Reno's lips parted, but only wavered slightly; seemingly unsure whether to smile or grimace.

"Tifa…"

The young female stood barely half a metre from him, her body seemingly held upright only by the mere force channelled through to her left hand which lent, pressed against the door frame, her wrist reddening ever so slightly under the pressure.

Reno's aquamarine gaze narrowed to a degree, as it roamed over his friend, though not through lack of remembrance, or want to, but rather concerned surprise.

She looked terrible, ill almost; her once radiate skin lay dulled and taught; the pale brightness that it had once possessed seemingly erased, whilst soft, dark bags settled heavily beneath her warm, crimson-tinted gaze, which in itself too, looked drawn.

If anyone was to view them both side by side, they would surely have believed that Tifa had been the one spending the last few months located inside a hospital wing, even with the Turk's butt sat so firmly upon a wheelchair.

Her clothes looked rather well worn; though that's not to say they were very tattered, or especially dirty, but just old, lived in.

They weren't her usual style, they were baggy, dreary, and in all honesty rather unflattering, and in fact Reno had only ever seen her wear such clothes once before during the first few months of Cloud's disappearance.

For a moment he thought she might have relapsed into her frantic depression that had taken hold of her so firmly during that trying period, but there were too many disagreeing factors for that to be correct.

The red head's fingertips tightened slightly upon the wheelchair's leather coated arms.

_Did I do this to her?_

After he'd taken in as much as he could by appearance alone, the young male slowly made to direct his attention purely upon the female's own slightly tired gaze.

It might have been true to say that she did not look anywhere near her best, but still, as his own heart began to thump forcibly against his ribcage, it became clear that her mere presence was enough to cause all of the Turk's long hidden affections once again to light within him.

The silence between them had only lasted a moment, and although Reno had been brought to realise many things within that short space, the first query that flooded into his mind upon finding his voice was one of pure, nervous curiosity.

"What- what are you doing here?"

The brunette's brow furrowed lightly, though before she could answer, the Turk's nervous curiosity had transformed into something close to distressed panic.

"Wait…how did you even get in?"

His eyes widened suddenly.

"Was the door already open? Did I leave it unlocked or something?"

Reno slammed his right arm down upon his leg in self-annoyance, and groaned deeply.

"Damn I bet those kids from twenty-one had a right field day when they-"

His voice faded swiftly as the young brunette reached out behind the doorway and brought forward a small metallic object.

She began to twirl it began two of her delicate fingers.

"You made me a spare ages ago Re…"

A light red hue formed upon his cheeks, and his face muscles clenched, as one of his nimble hands ran through his fiery spikes.

"Oh yeah…forgot about that."

For a few moments the pair remained opposite one another, silence seemingly winning through over confusion.

Eventually Reno decided to air his query once again, whilst softly tapping his fingertips upon the wheelchair's arm.

"So then, why are you here…in my house?"

This time the query appeared to both surprise and aggravate the young female, whose brow rose suddenly, before returning back to its original placement.

"I was waiting for you."

Her voice was softer than usual, and somewhat perplexed; obviously under the assumption that he should have either known or guessed her reason for being there.

The Turk appeared to become flustered once again, though managed to utter out another simple query.

"How- how did you know I'd be home today?"

"I didn't."

As Reno's brow contorted, the young woman began to elaborate on her rather brief answer, though her tone become noticeably unsteady as she started to lose control over her emotions.

"I didn't even know if you were still alive."

"Huh?"

The male's lip quirked slightly; confusion setting in once again, though this time it was quenched swiftly.

Tifa shifted, as she turned inward so her form was now side wades towards the male, as her head bowed in some sort of attempt to conceal the distress now clearly marked upon her face.

"They didn't let me see you; they didn't even tell me what was going on!"

Strands of her dark brown hair whipped about the air as she shook her head; seemingly trying to disagree with her emotional reaction.

"You could've died in the hospital weeks ago for all I knew!"

Without warning Tifa swiftly retuned her attention towards the red head, a few moist trails now evident upon her skin.

"What happened Re?"

Reno diverted his gaze before emitting a soft, lingering sigh.

"Tifa, can we do this inside?"

He took a brief, somewhat anxious glance around the corridor, before whispering almost pitifully.

"…Please."

The young female finally allowed her gaze to roam over her friend's form; her eyes widening slightly as realisation hit with the full comprehension of his state.

Her corner of her mouth curled slightly; emitting something of a small kindness.

"Sure…"

* * *

The wheel from Reno's chair emitted a high-pitched creak as it was forced to turn in order to avoid the closest corner of the large sofa that resided within the centre of the apartment's living room.

He'd entered in silence, making no attempt at eye contact or conversation; the only sound escaping his lips came in the form of the odd grunt of expelled air as his arms strained with every push upon the wheels beside him.

The brunette had appeared to follow his lead, and had remained by the door for some time after he had passed; her gaze fixed upon the male's slowly moving form with a mixture of pity, uncertainty and frustration, before sighing, bringing the door to a quiet close and making her own way towards the living room.

The male came to rest his chair within the space between the window and the outer edge of the coffee table, which in turn created a sort of barrier between himself and the sofa, whilst Tifa, who entered only moments after, choose the closest end of the cushioned furniture, though made sure to keep just enough distance to display her current feeling of unrest.

They remained that way for some time; each either not knowing what to say, or unwilling to start off what both knew would be something of an emotional 'discussion'.

As the seconds passed by Reno's aquamarine gaze began to flicker across the young female; first focusing for a moment upon her knee, then rising slightly to concentrate upon her hands which lay entwined within each other upon her lap, before finally drifting up and coming to rest upon her face and taking in each softly defined feature; but as he did so he noticed the direction of her own gaze; his wheelchair.

His gaze quickly diverted towards the floor, as his brow furrowed.

"You don't need to feel sorry for me."

Tifa eyes neither widened nor flickered with surprise from the sudden and unexpected utterance, but instead proceeded to narrow; the crimson flecks dancing even brighter than usual upon their warm brown base, as though alight with their very own brand of passionate emotion.

"Don't worry, I wasn't."

"Oh."

The young male's face flushed lightly; a mixture of embarrassment and hurt and feel self-hate.

Her tone had been so cold, ruthless even, and yet the display revealed quite clearly that the feelings held by the female had themselves been hurting for quite some time.

She crossed her arms and let out a quiet outward breath; close to a sigh and yet holding none of the usual sentiment.

"What happened anyway?"

The query delighted and distressed him; the conversation finally being started, and yet he knew the answer given would not be of any satisfaction.

"I can't…"

Reno's voice seemed to lose itself for a moment, and his gaze became held upon a single spot for no more than a fraction of a second.

"…I'm not at liberty to discuss-"

The brunette unlocked her arms and flung them angrily down upon the free space around her; the cushioned surface denting easily with the sudden pressure.

"Oh for-Reno! I'm sick and tired of this! How do you expect us to maintain a friendship if you refuse to tell me anything that's going on in your life?"

The red head turned towards the female; his brow furrowing further as frustration began to set in.

"Excuse me, but what is it that you want me to do exactly? I'm a Turk, always have been, was when you met me and still am now! You signed up for this…"

Although his words clearly irritated her, Tifa merely huffed.

"I just thought…"

She leaned back upon the sofa; her hands returning to her lap as she did so.

"I thought it might change…in time."

Reno cocked an eyebrow.

"Well it doesn't work like that."

His tone been harsher than anticipated, and upon seeing the mingled upset and annoyance within the female's crimson-tinted gaze, the young male emitted an apologetic sigh.

"It doesn't matter how close I am to a person Tifa…"

He bowed his head and nestled it deeply within his cupped hands.

"I still can't."

Tifa's brow rose, as she emitted a soft grunt.

"So this is how its gunna be huh?"

When her query went unanswered she made to rise.

"I need a drink."

As the female came to stand, she wavered on the spot, and gestured questioning with nothing but her own gaze.

Reno's lips curled ever so lightly in to what could have hinted at a smile, and gave a brief nod, to which she responded with a somewhat half-hearted sigh before proceeding towards the kitchen.

* * *

She returned a couple of minutes later carrying two relatively clean tumblers in one hand, and a bottle of amber shaded liquid in the other.

Soon enough the brunette was re-seated and pouring the warming alcohol; her hand shaking ever so slightly as she did so.

Reno watched the liquid lap over the bottom of the glass intently; the motion almost smoothing.

"How long have you been here Tifa?"

Having filled one glass with an appropriate amount of whiskey, she made to hover the bottle over to the other, before beginning the action once again.

"A week or so."

His aquamarine gaze flickered up towards hers.

"Why?"

"I told you…."

She halted her poured with one swift motion and began screwing the cap back on; all the time keeping her crimson-tinted gaze locked upon her tumbler.

"…I was waiting."

Reno's brow cocked.

"But-"

"They informed me that you'd returned and were in hospital."

He watched her for a moment; his contorted features softening as he did so.

"I'm sorry you weren't allowed in."

"I wouldn't have come anyway."

His brow furrowed deeply; so very similar to her earlier, harsh retort, and yet this one seemed softer, truthful, and altogether more to herself.

"I didn't want to see you."

She took a swig from her own tumbler; grimacing slightly as the burning liquid prickled down her throat.

"I was too angry."

As she made to slide the now, single full tumbler over to the red head, his brow furrowed yet again.

"Then…why were you waiting for me."

A small chuckle escaped her lips; Reno somewhat unsure as to whether it was through true amusement or an effect of the sudden rush of strong alcohol.

"I'm human Reno…I can be angry, upset, hurt, and infuriated to my very core but…I still care…"

She brought the tumbler's rim up to rest mere millimetres from her lips, and muttered.

"What else was I meant to do?"

Again the pair seemed to become consumed by an overwhelming silence, though this time it was swiftly broken by the red head.

"You didn't seem very shocked by the wheel chair."

The female shrugged.

"Elena told me you were in a pretty bad way."

Reno's brow rose.

"So Elena was the one who informed you?"

Tifa merely nodded, before slowly taking another warm, sharp sip from her tumbler.

The young male smiled, and appeared to remain unaware of it for quite some time.

Eventually he spoke, his tone soft and strangely happy, and like Tifa had done only moment before, seemingly directed at himself.

"Well I'm glad you're here…It's nice to know you-"

For the second time that evening, the brunette made to explode with anger.

Her eyes flashed dangerously, and her chest rose and fell with an accelerated rhythm.

"Your job is so dangerous Reno! Do you have any idea what it's like for me to sit around and wait for you to come home safely? It's torture."

Once again the male attempted to defend himself.

"It's not always like that! And I've been doing this job for as long as I can remember and as far as I know I haven't died yet!"

She made a direct, dramatic gesture towards him.

"You're in a wheelchair Reno!"

"Yes I am! And it's my own fault…I messed up, and I'm paying the price for it."

He stared blankly, unable to think, unable to move; his gaze becoming cloudy as a moist sheen formed through a sudden wave of long pent up emotion.

The voice that finally emerged was soft, broken, and yet distinctly bold.

"Do you have any idea what I've had to go through…what I'm going through now?"

His gaze darted up to meet hers; the sudden motion forcing a small jolt from the brunette.

Reno's tone rapidly began to increase in volume.

"I'm basically a cripple Tifa! I may never get out of this damn chair, my partner is lying half dead in the hospital wing because of something I did and now I may have messed up my life with Shin-Ra completely! So don't you dare try to make this about you!"

His final words seemed to echo around the room for an eternity, before the finally became nothing but silent wisps.

The red head growled in annoyance, though it appeared to be directed more at himself than the brunette.

He swung his head back and took in a deep, steadying breath.

"I know you worry, and I appreciate what it must feel like for you, but don't forget I'm on the receiving end of it all…I'm the one in danger."

Tifa, who had been both shocked and fuelled by his outburst, made to carry on where she'd left off.

"If it hurts you so much then why even do it?"

"Because it's what I do!"

He buried his head briefly inside his cupped hands, before sliding them up and through his flame red spikes, sighing with a hint of frustration as he did so.

"I can't explain it…being a Turk…it just fits! It's just me."

He brought his gaze back around towards the brunette.

"Why are you asking me to change?"

Reno made to lean forwards; his elbows resting steadily upon the wheelchair's leathered armrests.

"Am I not good enough the way I am?"

Her eyes widened in a kind of disbelief.

"What? No, that's not-"

"Because correct me if I'm wrong but I'm pretty sure nearly every single one of your friends have some pretty big flaws!"

"Don't go bringing anyone else into-"

She was cut off by a somewhat triumphant Reno."

"You know I'm right though!"

The female fell silent for a moment before emitting a huff.

"Fine, fine, just tell me this, if you had to decide between …me…and Shin-Ra, who would you pick?"

The red head's face paled.

"Don't ask me that Tifa."

His bright aquamarine eyes seemed to plead.

"Please don't make me choose."

"I just want to know."

Reno stared intently into her warm, crimson-tinted eyes for one lingering moment before seemingly breaking and diverting his weakened gaze towards the carpeted flooring.

She huffed again, though this time it was almost completely silent and filled with edged with a blend of hurt and disappointment and yet there was no hint of surprise.

"And now I do."

The male sighed with light exasperation.

"That isn't fair and you know it."

Tifa grunted; unimpressed, and rolled her eyes.

The male watched her and mocked a silent laugh; all amusement mixed with disbelief and frustration.

"You think you're so perfect don't you? You're morals, your beliefs, your actions, all of it. Nothing you do is wrong, you always make the right choice, you never hurt your friends."

His brow rose lightly, knowingly.

"Has it ever occurred to you that you're just like me? In your own way?"

When his comment received nothing but another rolling of the eyes he dropped his head; nestling it in a single palm.

After a moment of quiet he muttered softly.

"Shin-Ra is my family. Don't you get that?"

Tifa's gaze flickered over the male's still form.

"Well what about me? I thought we were friends…good friends…Do I always have to come second best?"

Reno emitted a half-stifled, high-pitched grunt.

"You're not second best! There is no 'best'!"

"Then why does it feel like it?"

His face had lost all essence of 'serious', 'fuelled' emotion, and instead it appeared childlike, almost 'light'; the mixture of annoyance, anger and constant retorts bringing their conversation close to being described as 'bickering'

"I honestly don't know Tifa, and frankly I'm not sure what else to say…this…this jealousy is just-"

Tifa's brow rose to something of a dramatic level.

"Jealousy?" Pfft I'm not jealous!"

The red head turned towards her and nodded mockingly.

"Oh really?"

Her cheeks blushed a gentle red.

"No! I just-I just care!"

A small sheen of glistening moisture began to form around the inner corners of her eyes though never fell.

Reno's own gaze narrowed as he watched the stunning, painful, beautiful display.

He wasn't being fair, but then neither was she.

Maybe she'd never understand.

He emitted a light sigh

_I guess I'll just have to try…_

He pushed down hard upon the rubber coated wheels beside him, thus bringing his chair as close as possible to the emotionally shattered form of the brunette.

His fingers reached out and curled over the female's entwined hands; his gently cold skin tingling from the comforting warmth of her own, before his bright gaze flickered up to meet with hers.

"You don't know how much I hate this…if I could tell you…"

He leant forwards and with his free hand he grabbed his still full tumbler, creating a miniature amber-shaded whirlpool as it twirled in his grasp.

"…oh the things I could tell you…"

The young female bowed her head; dark, brunette strands falling forwards to dance in the open air.

"Reno…"

He lifted his hand from hers and brought it up to brush against her cheek; slowly drawing her gaze back up to his.

"I'm sorry Tifa."

She looked at him for a moment; not with anger or annoyance but just a kind of tired acceptance.

Eventually her gaze diverted and she shifted to pour herself a refill.

As the liquid lapped over the tumbler's base once again, the brunette smiled sadly.

"You know I lied earlier…I did feel sorry for you."

Reno let out a somewhat disdaining chuckle.

"Hm, pretty much everyone does-Wait 'did'?"

She took a smooth taste from the tumbler and shrugged.

"Well I don't know what to feel anymore. Since Cloud, I've started to feel confused-"

Reno emitted a dramatically exasperated groan.

"Is this always gunna be about Cloud!"

The female appeared to choose to ignore the red head's heated query completely, with her thoughts seemingly lost in the warm amber liquid tightly grasped within her fingers.

"I was supposed to wait for him…"

The red head's fingertips clutched tightly at the arm rests as he desperately tried to suppress the desire to rip out own hair in frustration.

"Chocobo head might never come back, he's a complete and utter bastard! He doesn't care about you!"

Tifa's eyes widened with a pained vulnerability.

"You're wrong! He did…he does!"

"Then why did he leave you?"

Although her heart was beating rapidity with as a result of the constant torrent of rather jarring truths, her body stayed perfectly still, nervous uncertainty seemingly paralyzing her; only her bottom lip managed a slight tremble.

"I don't…I don't know."

Her fingers began fumbling with each other.

"He left once to impress me…and now…and now I'm just worried that-"

The young male slammed his tumbler down upon the coffee table with a dull clink.

"Tifa, I'm not him!"

Her eyes narrowed in a kind of annoyed disbelief.

"You disappeared Reno! I didn't know where you were…when you were gunna come back…if ever…"

Her warm, crimson-tinted gaze wavered over his face as if taking in every little detail; remarkable or not.

"I just…don't want to feel that…way again…the fear, the worry, the uncertainty…it's too much."

Reno's facial muscles contorted.

"Why do you care?"

Her brow furrowed lightly in genuine confusion, and yet her voice came out with a hint of self-conscious nervousness.

"Because…you're…you're my friend."

Reno's bright aquamarine eyes narrowed.

"Is that all?"

Tifa's brow lifted ever so slightly, as her voice melted away into nothing but a whisper; the tone dangerously close to awe.

"What?"

Reno hovered the now half-full tumbler by his softly parted lips, and muttered.

"Never mind."

A brief silence passed, whilst Tifa rubbed her thumb rhythmically along the facing semicircle of her tumbler's rim.

After a few moments the tempo increased as her voice made to sound; albeit quietly.

"So…did you think about me at all?"

The young male smirked inwardly.

_How could I not…_

"A bit."

The beginnings of a shy smile began to form upon his lips.

"I tried to ring a few times…I actually got through to Yuffie at one point but…"

His own voice faded out as the familiar high-pitched, confident tone of the ninja's

'_I hope you can suck it up and finally tell her'_

He allowed a coy, yet knowing smirk to grace his thin lips and muttered quietly to himself.

"Damn girl…"

He emptied the rest of the tumblers contents onto his tongue; perhaps hoping the alcohol would help steady him in some way.

"Tifa."

"Hm?"

"I lied too."

That brought her attention back around to him; her eyes darted to his own, and flickered with both surprise, bewilderment and a hint of curiosity.

"I thought about you a lot. Too much."

He ran a slightly self-conscious hands through his flame red spikes and sighed; a light blush warming the upper heights of his pale cheeks.

"I couldn't stop."

Tifa didn't display any noticeable reaction, in fact, her expression was utterly unreadable, as if she was, herself, unsure of her true feelings concerning the confession.

After a moment she allowed her brow to furrow lightly.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Yuffie."

The answer clearly wasn't what she had expected, her brow rising, and furrowing again, almost simultaneously

"…Yuffie?"

Reno grinned to himself; a soft chuckle emerging soon after.

"She may be an annoying little shit, but…but she has a knack for being blunt, in a good way."

The female's brow furrowed in further, as if she was somewhat unsure as to whether she was hearing him correctly.

"Right…"

He seemed rather unaware of the brunette's confusion; instead he appeared to be amazed at his own words, as though he was realising the somewhat amusing truth for the first time.

"And she also seems to be very insightful."

This forced a rather disbelieving smirk onto the female's own, soft pink lips.

"Insightful, Yuffie? Come on…"

Reno's brow rose with a kind of amusement.

"Well she saw it before you did…maybe even before I did."

"Saw what?"

The red head paused for a brief moment; snatching a second to calm himself.

"That…that I've developed feelings for you."

This time her reaction was clear; her eyes widened, though not through discomfort or disgust, but rather a mixture of surprised awe and genuine delight, both of which sounded in her hushed tone.

"What…?"

"I care for you Tifa…more than I've ever cared for anyone and… and I want to be with you."

His gaze seemed to brightened as it locked with hers.

"Now...can you honestly say that you feel nothing for me?"

Tifa seemed to become transfixed in thought, though when she made no move to speak, the young male took the lead; in one smooth motion he brought his lips to meet with hers, their mouths melting againist each other as though they'd been doing it for a lifetime.

* * *

A strip of pale, cold light peered through a small gap hidden between the folds of the curtains that danced ever so slightly as small infiltrated their way through the poorly constructed window frame.

Reno head lay rested upon his open palm, which in turn was propped up upon his elbow that sat placed on the sofa's arm.

His eyes stared blankly at the opposite wall, unblinking, and unfocused; he'd been that way since his she'd gone to bed, sleep unable to claim him through both excitement and trepidation.

Everything that had been said, everything that had happened between them that previous evening had felt like some kind of dream; the reality of what had commenced was something so surreal that the male had been trying to convince himself of its truth for the remaining lightless hours.

In fact, he was so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that the young female had roused and was now walking down the corridor towards him.

Her feet fell softly upon the light carpeted flooring.

"Morning."

Reno's form jerked with surprise, though he only took a moment to recover, and after refreshing his senses with a quick head waggle and running a nimble hand through his spiky red locks, he turned to smile at the brunette.

The smile swiftly melted away into a half concealed smirk as his aquamarine gaze came to meet with the sight of the young brunette whom was clad in a familiar item.

"Is that one of my shirts?"

She took a brief glance down at herself, before bringing her arms to wrap around her chest and cling ever so nervously at the sides of material.

"Yeah, I hope you don't mind, I just didn't have anything to wear, and I didn't fancy sleeping naked."

Reno's previously hinted smirk grew to his trademark standard.

"Shame."

Tifa's crimson-tinted gaze widened, as her arms unlocked and placed themselves firmly on her hips; the whole display both incredibly amusing and rather intimidating.

"Oi!"

She went to give him a playful slap on the shoulder, but before her fingertips could reach there destination, the young female fell pray to the red head's own swift reflexes and soon found herself being pulled down beside him, her form brushing warmly against his own.

A light smirk still graced the male's thin lips, as Tifa scowled rather unconvincingly at him.

The play-match only lasted a for a few moments, before the female finally gave in and placed a soft, let warm kiss upon the red head's lightly curled lips.

A couple of minutes passed as the couple sat together, quietly happy in each others company.

It was Reno whom eventually stirred them out of the peaceful atmosphere, his brow furrowed as he did so, for the unease which had clouded his mind just a few minutes earlier had crawled its way back; the female's presence now fuelling its central qualms.

He extended a couple of fingers and began to gently stroke the skin of her forearm; a few downy hairs prickling at the sensation.

"So…what's gunna happen now."

Tifa's gaze faltered, as her eyelashes flickered uncertainly, before it settled upon the Turk's knee.

"I don't know."

Her voice was softened and yet harsh, as though her words and her emotions were battling against each other.

Her brow furrowed lightly as she emitted a sigh or both confusion and frustration, and yet her one of her hands lay tightly curled around Reno's shoulder, as though he might slip away if she let go.

"I…I don't want to lose you again…I don't want to be scared that you'll just…"

Her voice wavered as she locked eyes with Reno, whose bright aquamarine gaze appeared to sparkle though the dullness of the room.

"I'm not going anywhere Tifa."

A small smile graced her lips, though it was brief, and followed by a short, disbelieving grunt.

"So you say…"

The red head's gaze narrowed through a soft sort of distressed offence at her distrust.

Tifa ran her free hand through to the ends of her dark locks and sighed.

"I'm sorry it's just…if _we_ are going to work then-"

Reno silenced her with a comforting hand that came to rest upon the space that joined the side of her neck to the start of her cheek; his thumb brushing against her chin as he did so.

"What do you want me to do?"

* * *

A/N= Sorry for how late this is, I had planned to get it out a while ago, but I got struck by a rather nasty cold and it kinda wiped me of all my creative energies…plus my normal energies! And then my friend went back to Uni, so I wanted to spend as much time with her as possible before she left! Sorry X(! Hopefully the next update will be sooner!

Anyway onto the chapter!

Finally Tifa is back! XD She's kinda been 'absent' from this fic for quite some time now…I mean she's been there in the sense I've been mentioning her a fair deal and she's been present in the flashback scenes, but of course she hasn't actually been…there haha

But she's there/here now! I thought I'd have a rather RenoxTifa focused chapter and get out a lot of things that were clearly bothering them both before the missions start.

I know this update had a VERY different feel to it than the last chunk since our favourite red head left Edge, but I did try to ease it away from the mission and back into the feel we had at the beginning of the fic with the last chapter, though of course it was still different because it was purely Turk based, and this one isn't exactly as 'light' as at the start but hopefully it had a somewhat more 'romantic' feel.

Oh and also, it may have appeared that I 'rushed' into them relationship, but trust me they're not suddenly a couple, and there are still a lot of issues concerning the pair! It's not going to be prefect and happy all of a sudden, but that's not to say it's going to be heavily depressing XD I just wanted to have some emittance of feeling in this update, and that's why I didn't take it too far…physically, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and it just didn't seem right this time, or for this couple.

Oh and between the kiss and the start of the last section, I'm allowing some 'reader imagination' though they most certainly did not do anything close to sexual! Mostly because of the obvious 'RENO'S IN A WHEELCHAIR' and he is still rather battered! I would, in my own mind, have assumed they'd talked for quite some time, or maybe just sat there in each other's company, or probably a mixture of both; I mean come on there's still a hell of a lot of sort out between these two…

But anyway, hope I did ok with this chappie XD It's been awhile since I've written them together and there was so much that I wanted to say…and I'm fairly certain I haven't gotten it all out just yet XD but that's what the sequels for…(btw that doesn't mean this is the last chapter of this one…not quite yet anyway XP)


	14. Ch14: Little White Lies

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy does not belong to me...however much I may like it to. I own no characters, places etc. etc. so please don't sue me! I'm a nice person :)

Author's Note: Chapter Fourteen...PLEASE review as I really enjoy reading your views and they inspire me to get better! It would make me very very happy! Anyway stop reading this and get on with reading the fic! Hope you enjoy! :)

**Chapter Fourteen: Little White Lies**

A few stray leaves glided from the road onto the pavement's edge; their thin, dried frames being so easily manipulated by the slightest breeze, only coming to a halt upon colliding with the wheelchair's blocking state.

It was undeniably quiet, with the street being near to completely empty; only a couple of local shop-owners scuttling about the front of their premise's, busily preparing themselves for the start of another business day breaking the eerie silence, though the area's almost void-like state was hardly surprising.

The hour was rather too untimely; so early in fact that the pale morning light had only just begun to reveal itself, with most of the city still sound asleep within their beds, dreaming through another few hours before being roused to start their working day.

Another trickle of chilled air wisped along the street, with Reno soon making to wrap his suit's jacket a little tighter around his lightly trembling form; the early morning temperature and constant icy bursts being both bracing and uncomfortable, especially for someone who was being made to wait without any warming movement or shelter.

He'd been 'parked' there for sometime, his wheelchair placed perfectly against the curb, leaving just enough space so as to avoid any damage from a hastily parked car, and yet be close enough to be able to slip into a vehicle without causing to long of a delay; his incapacitated state still posing some difficulties.

His fingertips tapped lightly upon his resting knees in an attempt to keep away both the boredom which had begun to set in and the batch of nerves that had slowly been prickling with an uncomfortable persistence.

Tseng had called him that previous evening upon the President's request for a meeting, and now he was waiting for one of the company drivers to pick him up; his current state making any journeying alone somewhat problematic.

He hadn't been informed of the specifics, other than a few vague suggestions, but it certainly didn't sound very promising; having a meeting arranged with Rufus Shinra himself was not something to be taken lightly.

It did help somewhat that his raven-haired superior would be present, though then again, with the way he had been treated the older male of late, it was also highly likely that he could just make the whole thing a whole lot worse.

He'd been mulling over the few phrases that had stuck out within his brief telephone conversation with Tseng, including discussing his 'situation', his 'future' with the company, and of course the details involving the 'incident'; none of which really helping to calm him, but at least they gave him some idea, and something of a chance to prepare for what he was walking, or rather rolling into.

The red head emitted a deep, prolonged sigh; he was not looking forward to this.

His aquamarine eyes veiled themselves for a moment as the male tightly screwed his lids shut and buried his chilled features within the palms of his hands, taking in a settling breath as his form relaxed.

It had been over two weeks since Reno and the young Miss. Lockhart had met once again since the male's return, and yet it felt like only it had occurred only moments ago.

They'd spent most of their time together engrossed in conversation, as if getting to know each other again, though this time with a new kind of excitement filling their words and a childish energy that was fuelled with every new touch and expression.

Though there was still the lingering sense of uncertainty and distrust between them; the feeling hardly surprising as the brunette had quite clearly displayed within a few simple gazing flickers, her lack of willing to allow their friendship to become something all the more serious until he had done what she had asked him to.

* * * Flash Back * * *

"I…I don't want to lose you again…I don't want to be scared that you'll just…"

Her voice wavered as she locked eyes with Reno, whose bright aquamarine gaze appeared to sparkle though the dullness of the room.

"I'm not going anywhere Tifa."

A small smile graced her lips, though it was brief, and followed by a short, disbelieving grunt.

"So you say…"

The red head's gaze narrowed through a soft sort of distressed offence at her distrust.

Tifa ran her free hand through to the ends of her dark locks and sighed.

"I'm sorry it's just…if _we_ are going to work then-"

Reno silenced her with a comforting hand that came to rest upon the space that joined the side of her neck to the start of her cheek; his thumb brushing against her chin as he did so.

"What do you want me to do?"

The brunette took a moment's pause, as if to prepare herself.

"I need you to promise me something..."

She took a deep breath and edged ever so slightly closer; the seat's frame creaking faintly with the motion.

"…and I need you to do something for me as well."

The young male's brow contorted slowly as he considered her for a few seconds, before allowing his lip to curl in a gentle reassurance.

"What's the promise?"

A small, softly relieved smile graced Tifa's light pink lips.

"I want you to tell me everything-"

The red head made to speak but she quickly silenced him with a flurry of head shakes and quietening gestures.

"I don't mean…when I say everything, I mean everything that I _**should**_ know…I'm not asking you to tell me all of Shinra's secrets, but if anything should concern me, if anything should concern you…I want to know about it.

Her gaze intensified as the male's expression became etched with misgiving.

"I don't want to be worried all the time…I don't want to be scared-"

Reno's sparkling aquamarine eyes widen.

"Shinra's changed! There isn't anything to be worried about."

"Then why are you?"

The male's gaze narrowed as his brow furrowed in frustrated confusion.

"What do you mean?"

Tifa raised a single eyebrow.

"I'm not stupid Reno…"

Although her expression displayed a playful amusement at his attempts at bewildered denial, her tone revealed something much closer to a soft, severe honesty.

"You're concerned too."

As the male's gaze lowered, a somewhat empathetic sigh escaped the brunette's lips.

"I'm not saying that they're going down the same path, but you can't trust them, and as long as you're working for them I need you to be honest with me, even if they tell you not to…if it's important enough, or could affect us, I need to know about it."

As she finished, the red head lifted his gaze back to her own and after closing his eyes for a moment he gave a small nod.

"Yeah..."

His expression softened slightly.

"…yeah ok."

He bowed his head for a moment, before swiftly pulling himself back up; running a hand through his flame red locks as he did so.

"So, what's this thing you need me to do?"

The young female stiffened for a moment, before allowing her legs to cross and her attention to return to the red head.

"I want you to talk to Rufus."

The male's brow contorted once again, though this time not only in confusion, but trepidation.

Tifa emitted a small, slightly nervous chuckle.

"Well I'm lying there, what I really want you to do is leave Shinra, but I can't ask that of you…"

Her closing words were spoken with more than a hint of displeasure, but although Reno noticed, he chose to ignore it rather than pursue the subject; he didn't want to leave Shinra and he definitely didn't want to get into that argument again.

The male's gaze flickered at his brow furrowed lightly.

"Wait, so…what exactly is it that you want me to talk to him about?"

"I want you to tell him off."

Reno's brow cocked in an almost comical fashion.

"Excuse me?"

"I want you to stand up to him, get some answers, and tell him you won't be his whipping boy!"

The Turk's aquamarine eyes seemed to glint with a very pure brand of fear.

"I'll be butchered alive."

Silence fell between the pair and for a while neither even made to look at the other.

After what seemed like an age, the red head allowed a deep, but quiet sigh to escape his lips.

"Is this an ultimatum?"

Tifa hesitated for a brief moment before sighing with a kind of apologetic frustration.

"Well we can't continue the way we are now. Something has to change."

Her brow wavered as she looked on in hopeful encouragement.

"So…will you?"

* * * Flash Back End * * *

Her words still echoed freshly within his mind.

Of course he had agreed; how could he not? But although the request was clear enough, the young Turk was dumbfounded about how to even begin implanting such a thing, let alone accomplishing it.

Luckily for him the young female had moved back to her own apartment a few days previous to his late night call from Tseng.

It wasn't so much that he believed that she would have been somewhat angered by it, but the fact remained that she'd told him to do the confronting, not to wait around for them to order him about, and especially for him to

It wasn't that he was weak, and he knew in his heart he'd do anything to make her happy, but the company and the job were his life, and he knew just how dangerous it might, or rather would, become for them both if he were to defy his superiors.

The young red head was pulled from his deliberations by a soft rumbling which caused his chair and vibrate ever so slightly; his trained senses able to pick up on the smallest changes to his environment.

He slowly lifted his resting head from the now warmed-cushion of his palms just as the vehicle came to a gentle, but precise stop, whilst the dark-sheen upon it sparkling brightly as the light hit the bonnet with an almost painful accuracy; his gaze narrowing swiftly in an attempt to shield his vision from the harsh illumination.

The door swung open to reveal a well-dressed driver, and yet for all his professional courtesy in Reno's eyes, he still appeared too much like an executioner.

He did not speak, but rather gave a short, small nod as he got out of the vehicle and started to assist the young male into place.

* * *

The polished glass twinkled with an ashen gleam as the large entrance doors slide open with a muted hum.

Reno's form lifted ever so slightly as he wheeled himself from the exterior of the evened pavement, to the interior softness of the carpet; the slight change in ground height causing his chair to act somewhat like a vehicle passing over a speed bump.

The driver had not guided him inside, but then to offer such a service would have most definitely made the red head feel even more pathetic than he already did.

The corridor through which he was made to travel was rather too long for his liking; the distance almost unbearable as the male was forced to not only push himself physical, which was still somewhat testing as his muscles got use to their new vocation, but also to experience the barrage of disdainful stares and implacable mutters.

He finally came to a stop before the elevator, and after somewhat staining himself to push the small metallic button, the male relaxed back into his chair to wait for the carriage's arrival.

His aquamarine gaze flickered to his left, where another, slightly shorted corridor began.

As his attention roamed over the brightly lit space, it swiftly came to focus upon two female employees, whom stood beside one of the filing stations, seemingly immersed in conversation.

They looked vaguely familiar; secretaries no doubt who had at one point or another been ordered to deliver various documentations to his floor.

The skinner female seemed to stiffen for a moment, triggering Reno's attention to scan their faces once again, though upon doing so, he quickly realised the cause so the sudden halt.

She made a nodding gesture towards his direction, though her gaze was forced clearly upon her colleague.

The pair slowly, but surely turned there attention onto the male's seated form; their eyes roaming over him with the kind of contempt that made it seem that they were trying their best to cause him pain.

He made to narrow his own gaze, though swiftly choose to turn away.

It wasn't just the mistake he'd made concerning the mission.

Rude was well liked, more than the red head had given him credit for, and he was respected enough to merit some commiseration; true, he was rather quiet, and maybe a little imposing, but he was polite, thoughtful and never disrespectful, unlike Reno.

He'd let them down, and now he was paying the price.

A small sigh escaped his lips, whilst a high-pitched ding sounded from the elevator, before the metallic doors began to open, though as he pushed himself inside with a bowed head, his vision came across a known set of Turk-issued footwear, and as his gaze made to rise, his suspicions were confirmed.

"Hello Elena."

* * *

The young female displayed a shy, almost nervous smile.

"Hey."

Reno swiftly wheeled himself around, so as to bring himself to face the elevator's opening; the doors still standing apart as they waited for a command from its clients.

His brow contorted in a mix of mild confusion and teasing curiosity.

"Didn't you need to get out?"

Elena took in a deep, but sharp breath, before letting it go with most of her words; the end result being something of a heightened, but lighter pitch.

"No, I came to meet you."

The red head's brow un-furrowed as it lifted in a somewhat pleasant surprise.

"Really?"

His fellow Turk fell silent for a moment; his fingers fiddling unconsciously with the ends of her suit-jacket.

When she decided to respond her eyes flickered nervously around the elevator's base.

"Well actually I was told to escort you to the President."

The male's face fell almost instantly as the realisation became apparent.

"Oh."

The pair continued their somewhat uncomfortable stance in silence as the doors began to close before them; the only sound arising when the young blonde input their destination onto the elevator's floor-map.

As they started to ascend, Reno felt his stomach flip; though he was unsure whether it had occurred through nerves or the sudden movement.

He tilted his gaze towards the standing female.

"So do you know what it's about?"

"Not really."

She shrugged lightly, though her tone seemed rather too calm for Reno's liking.

His brow cocked as he continued to observe her.

"That means you do."

"What?"

Elena turned; her brow furrowing instantaneously through confusion, though the presence of anxiety was unmistakable.

She was desperate to avoid the subject; that was clear, but then the reality of her knowing much at all was rather unfounded, and even if she did she was more than likely forbidden from disclosing any further information to him directly.

The red head allowed his aquamarine eyes to avert from their previous subject of the young blonde, and back towards the elevator door.

_Maybe it's easier for her this way; to lie rather than deny me to my face. _

A dry, tired smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Nothing."

He took in a swift breath as he directed one of his nimble hands through his flame red spikes.

"How are you?"

The female seemed rather pleased with the change of conversation; her manner brightening with her response.

"Fine thanks."

She quickly made to tilt in his direction.

"You?

Reno's brow cocked once again, as a sarcastic smile graced his lips.

"Oh I'm just dandy, cheers for asking."

"Don't be like that-"

"Like what?"

The pair stared at one another for a few moments; both determined to somehow gain the moral high ground, though both also appeared unable to determine if either had much ground to stand on at all.

Elena was the first to turn away, though she appeared somewhat rattled by the experience.

"I hope you'll be more courteous in front of the President."

Her gaze averted once more to the elevator's base, whilst her brow contorted as she made to continue.

"I don't want to have to…"

As his colleague's voice trailed off, Reno's stepped in.

"Have to what?"

His tone did not appear interested or confused by her statement, but rather more threatening, challenging; he didn't need to ask, he already knew what she had meant.

A softly exasperated sigh escaped Elena's lips.

"Just please…be careful."

The red head rolled his eyes.

_Great…two different women, two different requests…_

"This just isn't gunna be my day."

His mutterings had been quiet enough so that although the female sensed his speech, she could understand none of it

After a few silent moments passed in which the elevator both stopped and departed from another floor, though no extra passenger was gained; the button seemingly having been pressed by accident or boredom.

"So are you and Tseng alright now?"

Elena's form became rigid, and her voice began to tremble, though not through fear, but obvious confusion and surprise at the sudden and somewhat volunteered mention of her superior; especially in so close relation to herself.

"Excuse me?"

"You two have been 'off' since…"

His voice came to a halt as he caught sight of the expression upon the young female's face.

"…well you know."

Elena's shrugged.

"Have we?"

Her pitch was heightened; her skills at mocking surprised disinterest were certainly lacking.

Reno's brow cocked.

"I'd have thought it might have helped you two to bond…"

The female emitted a low grunt and muttered.

"Torture isn't exactly a bonding experience Reno."

"Of course it is! Blood, pain, almost-death! It's the kinda thing great romances are built on!"

Although she seemed rather irritated by her co-worker's attitude, Elena merely sighed.

"I just want to forget it."

"What about Tseng?"

Her arms folded across her chest.

"You'll have to ask him."

A short pause ensued, as her gaze became painstakingly locked upon the elevator doors.

"He doesn't talk to me anymore."

Reno brow arched quizzically.

"Yes he does-"

"Well of course he _**talks**_ to me, I mean he has too but…"

"It's just orders?"

The female nodded; a few of her blonde strands now weaving a half mask across her face.

"Hm. Well he has been a bit of a dick lately."

Her head whipped around in shock.

"Reno!"

"Well he has!"

The red head began picking impatiently at the leathered arm of his wheelchair.

"The way he talks to me…I think he sometimes forgets I'm second in command…"

"He knows perfectly well."

"Then why does he treat me like some scum off his shoe?"

Reno stared expectantly at her for a few moments before emitting a huff and resting his head upon his bent arm, propped up on the wheelchair's arm.

"There was a time when I'd be able to say anything, do anything, and he'd just roll his eyes and take it…"

A small, but contented smile formed upon the male's thin lips; those times, so long ago, when Elena had just started life as a Turk, and Rude was honing his shaded, silent reputation, and Tseng was their caring, if rather put upon father, whom although strict was always trusted by them.

They were once a family.

"I miss those days."

A soft, lingering sigh sounded from the female.

"Hm, I do too."

The elevator came to a smooth stop, before a bright 'ping' sounded and the doors began to slide apart.

* * *

The door gave a gentle, but finely honed creak as it fell shut behind him.

"Sir."

"Ah, good morning Reno."

The blonde male displayed an insincerely warm smile his gaze met with the young Turk; his icy blue eyes trying their hardest to appear 'welcoming' though the superior glint was still very much present.

As he wheeled himself further into the room, he caught sight of Tseng standing beside the large, panelled window with the President's desk placed mere meters before it; the pale, city skyline serving as a back drop.

The raven-haired male turned just enough so as to enable his gaze to lock with the younger Turk.

Reno executed a swift greeting nod, to which his superior responded equally, though whilst his expression was stiffened by the un-surety of the situation, Tseng's was remarkable calm; as if he was mildly enjoying himself.

After he had averted his gaze and pushed himself closer to the front of the well-crafted piece of office furniture, a short, soft quiet settled within the room; the red head waiting patiently as Rufus made to finish up whatever papers he had been viewing upon his desk.

"So how are feeling?"

Reno's eyes widened to a noticeably degree; it hadn't been quite what he was expecting.

A few moments passed before he managed to fumble a response.

"I'm better thanks…"

"Was your journey was agreeable?"

Reno's brow furrowed as his confusion heightened; he had not been prepared for any kind of friendly inquiry, which made the President's behaviour and its persistence, not only unnerving but baffling.

He tried his best to soften his rather contorted features.

"Yes Sir."

"And I trust you're care at the hospital was to your satisfaction?"

The male's voice made to answer, but stopped abruptly before any sound could escape; he didn't like this, and he didn't like to play games, if there was anyway he could make this meeting conclude any sooner then he'd risk bringing up the inevitable, even if he really wished it to never come to pass.

He locked his finger together tightly; their previously uneasy playing swiftly coming to an end as he tried to control his nerves.

"Excuse me Sir; was there something specific you wanted to talk to me about?"

His unexpected utterance only caused the blonde male to raise one of his eyebrows; the warm smile he had displayed upon Reno's arrival somewhat altering as his lips pursed.

"After hearing Tseng's report I thought it best for us to talk."

_Well that didn't exactly help much…_

Reno narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"Talk about what?"

The seated blonde emitted a tired, almost frustrated sigh.

"About your performance in the mission, your position at this company, your loyalties…"

He allowed a short pause before he continued.

"We were very disappointed in how the mission we assigned to you and Rude-"

"It wasn't our fault!"

Rufus shot a rather unimpressed glare at the young Turk.

"Maybe, maybe not, but certain doubts have arisen…"

Reno's jaw clenched.

"What can I do to settle these…doubts?"

"Forget the mission…behave…obey your orders without posing any disruption."

A silence settled as the red head absorbed the orders being made of him, though after only a few brief moments his brow furrowed; curiosity still rife within him.

"What- but on the mission, we didn't get-"

"We shall be sending someone else."

A small, but noticeable smirk graced the President's pale lips as his words echoed through the air.

Reno jaw tightened yet again, though this time when he released it he spoke with a certain boldness; his mind locked desperately upon heightening his confidence.

"What's going on Sir?"

He took a breath, as his fingertips strengthened their grip around the wheelchair's arms.

"I demand to know."

Tseng turned fully this time and stepped forwards; his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"Reno, stop this. You are a Turk."

He leaned in against Rufus's desk, intensifying his tone.

"Now start acting like one."

After a short pause the young blonde made to speak.

"You will respect me, and you will respect my decisions."

Rufus emitted a soft grunt as the red head's gaze began to flicker.

"Now, your current state does not entirely lend yourself to any practical assignment, but Tseng here has assured me that there is plenty of paperwork for you to complete in the mean time."

The Turk ran an unsteady hand through his flame red locks; his supposedly control nerve swiftly unravelling.

"Oh and that Miss. Lockhart…"

Reno's aquamarine gaze flashed.

"What about her?"

"I assume we can rely on you to be…discreet."

The closing of the President's inquiry had been uttered with more than a hint of force.

The red head observed his two superiors for a moment before airing what seemed the most obvious thing to say, and yet he also found it to be the most important.

"She…she doesn't trust you…"

He received no great reaction from the two males; not that he'd been expecting one, instead Rufus just raised his brow as if in slight amusement.

"We know. We know about your friendship with her, and we would like to make it clear that should you betray us in _**any**_ way, we will be forced to…terminate your contract with us, which will include anyone whom you might have betrayed us too."

The raven-haired male made to speak again, as the President leaned back within his chair.

"There are factors at work Reno, things you wouldn't understand."

Rufus exhaled deeply, before bringing his form closer once again; his hands clasping upon the wooden surface in front of him.

"It's best you don't question our motives again…I can promise you that we are doing everything that is best for us and our planet."

He sighed with a certain satisfaction and displayed another 'warm' smile.

"Now I have a busy schedule, so if you would…."

He made a relaxed gesture towards the door, as his gaze averted back towards the papers upon his desk.

* * *

The elevator emitted a muted bump as it came to a stop at the ground floor, whilst the doors produced a highly-contrasting metallic click as they came to a full opening.

After a few moments, the male rolled himself from the contraption with a drained slothfulness; he had only been up a few hours and already he felt like he had been forced to sit through an age of mental-warfare.

After he passed over the first few metres of carpeted ground, he came to a rather abrupt halt; a sharp, but confused realisation being to pang inside him.

What was he doing?

What was he _**going**_to do? If anything?

He ran a pressured hand through his flame red locks; he did not have the time to dilly-dally around the situation, he had to decide now, he had to choose his path.

As his hand released itself, he hung his head back and inhaled deeply, before eventually pushing off once again.

The driver made to approach as he wheeled himself from the building and into view.

"I have a change of destination."

The nameless male's brow furrowed briefly in interest.

"Yes Sir?"

* * *

The smooth rumble sounded around the street as the vehicle pulled away from the curb; leaving the young red head a few metres into the pavement.

The building before him seemed darker than usual, sadder; the un-lit windows along with the lack of loud, cheery mumblings that had so commonly been played inside now laying silent as the daytime hours denied its patrons entrance.

Seventh Heaven.

Reno emitted a rather apprehensive sigh.

_Come on, best to get it over with…what other choice do you have…_

The Turk wrapped his hands around the rubber-coated wheels and took a steadying breath; swiftly proceeding to direct himself through the rather small alley leading to the female's apartment entrance.

He knocked at the door for quite some time, though he made to do so softly; part of him didn't really want the female to answer.

Just as he made to rap against the wooden panels once more, after taking a few moments pause, he heard a gentle, but distinctive bump coming from inside; the hall door opening.

Soon enough the front door rattled as it was unlocked and pull open a healthy degree.

Her eyes widened ever so slightly as her gaze met with the visitor.

"Hello."

Reno mocked a salute.

"Hey."

The brunette viewed him for a few moments in what appeared to be perplexed curiosity, before stepping aside and opening the door further.

"Come in…"

The pair sat within her kitchen for quite some time; Tifa having made some tea now stood quite still, whilst the red head sat gently caressing the wheelchair's arms as a way of controlling his calm.

She tapped the side of her mug as her gaze flickered everywhere apart from on him.

"So, how have you-"

"I've seen Rufus."

Her brow raised; she had not been expecting such a direct and partially satisfying response.

"Oh."

A few moments passed as she waited for him to expand, though when all she received was silence, she continued herself."

"And? What happened?"

Reno exhaled and displayed a soft, charmed smile.

"…I won't be going on a dangerous mission anytime soon."

Tifa's lips wavered before forming a broad, relieved smile.

_Well that wasn't a lie…the only thing dangerous thing I'm gunna get is a paper cut…_

"So did you stand up to Rufus?"

He ran a calm hand through his flame red spikes.

"I…I demanded to know what was going on…"

_That's not a lie either…_

Her brow furrowed slightly; his carefree attitude and general mix of over-confidence and hinting unease throwing her.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but they…they want to talk to me and Rude together…it's a Turk thing."

_Ok that was a lie…_

"Oh."

She seemed to consider him for the moment; maybe wondering whether his nervous play was through her presence or maybe a reaction to what he had done that morning.

"So it's sorted then?"

It might have been wrong, but she was happy, and it was nice, and he could enjoy it whilst it last, even if that might not be very long.

"Yeah, yeah it's sorted."

* * *

A/N= The end! That's it folks! Well at least for a while anyway until I start the sequel up! XD I might do an epilogue of sorts, though I'm not certain atm…

I was always gunna end it at this point, I'd already had the last section planned before I'd written the second chapter! XD

If you wanna know when the sequel gets posted you can either put me on your alert list, or if you don't want to receive numerous emails on my other fics that you don't actually want to read, then you can ask me to pm when I get the sequel up!

Anyway onto the chapter!

I know I repeated some of the dialogue from the end of the last chapter, but it seemed to work better than just trying to carry it on without an effective set up.

And I wanted to hint at the Tseng/Elena stuff because there will be more about that in the sequel, but I didn't want to go to far into, so thus I only mentioned it.

Oh and I know the elevator ride might have seemed a little long but I've always assumed Shin-Ra buildings would be quiet large and travelling all the way through them would take quite some time...


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